The Fox of Fate
by storygirl1015
Summary: Sakura is walking home from school one night when she discovers a badly injured fox. Thinking that it might be beyond saving, she's reluctant to interfere. But fate has other plans in store, and so does the 'fox'...AU
1. Where You Go, I Will Follow

**Okay, new story, inspired by my love of all animals and the hit show on Animal Planet (actually, I really don't know if it's a hit but I just felt like saying that, so yeah…), Living with the Wolf Man, which I just finished watching before begining this story. Wolves are also my favorite wild animal, so yeah...**

**Let's cut right to the chase, _I don't own Naruto_.**

**Summary**: When Sakura Haruno stumbles upon an injured fox while on the way home from school, she thought nothing of bringing the beautiful creature home to her lonely little apartment in order to nurse it back to health. Never once did she suspect that her cute little guest was really a handsome stranger in disguise, or that fate may have more in store for her than she could ever imagine. But things really begin to get interesting when she receives a call from her longtime friend and classmate, saying she's also found an injured 'animal' that is more than he first appeared...

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**Chapter One:**

_Where You Go, I Will Follow_

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Sakura Haruno sighed tiredly to herself as she trudged through the woods, on her way home from a long day at school. It was getting dark as the sun had just started to set, and she'd rather not be caught wandering through the woods alone by whatever creatures might be lurking about.

_If only I hadn't had to stay after school to help file paperwork for Tsunade-shisou… Then, maybe, I'd be curled up safe and warm reading a book by the fireplace instead of wondering around in these creepy woods, all alone, after dark. _Sakura thought.

But she knew as an esteemed member of the student council and a trusted associate in Tsunade's personal cabinet there would always be errands to run, task to finish, and work to be done. She continued onward, all the while glancing frantically back and forth at the steadily darkening foliage, and quickening her pace as a result of rapidly mounting paranoia and a sudden loss of nerves. Although this was supposed to be the fastest way home, to Sakura, being out alone made everything seem creepier and even more dangerous. Silently, she cursed her rotten luck, wishing futilely that she hadn't had to leave her car at the auto shop for repairs for a whole week.

_At least I'm halfway home,_ she kept reminding herself; it wouldn't be too much longer now as she would soon be approaching the lighted pathway at the end of the woods.

Then suddenly, she heard a twig snap, and immediately jumped high into the air, her skin crawling in fear. Sakura whipped her head around searching for the source of the noise, nearly giving herself whiplash.

"W-W-Whose there? Well, whoever you are, come out, and I may decide to spare you some pain!" Sakura said fiercely, or at least she hoped she did. But inwardly, she was slapping herself repeatedly for sounding so foolish and making it extremely obvious just how desperate and on edge she truly was.

She heard some rustling nearby, and turned in the direction of the noise. She waited anxiously with baited breath as from out of the bushes, came first a nose, then a whole head… the head of an apparently golden fox to be exact. It stared at her with brilliant blue eyes and instantly her face lit up with glee and she gushed at the adorable little creature. "Aw… You're so cute! You know, you scared me little guy! I thought you were some kind of stalker or something," she sighed in relief. The fox finished crawling out from the shrubbery at the sound of her gentle tone of voice.

And now that the fox's lean body was completely exposed, Sakura could see horrible cuts, scrapes and nasty gashes littering its slightly dingy yellow pelt. She gasped in shock and horror, "Oh my! It looks like you've run into some sort of trouble, little one. I wish I could help you but I'm only a med student, and I treat humans, not animals."

At this, the fox gave her a pitiful look, as if it understood that she wasn't planning on helping it. And it was also then that Sakura realized that until that moment she'd been shamelessly talking to a fox, a feisty woodland creature that would just as soon attack as answer her. Although, this particular fox did not seem in any condition to attack anyone, nor did it seem very lively at the moment. And though Sakura was sure no one had been around to witness the little spectacle, luckily for her, her face glowed a bright scarlet hue all the same.

Shaking her head free of ridiculous notions and utter embarrassment, Sakura cast the captivating animal one last apologetic look, before continuing on her way. Sakura had very nearly reached the end of the path, and could now see the small houses and other establishments that lined the lighted and paved roadway, when she felt _someone_ or _something_ behind her.

Snatching up a sharp and jagged rock from the pathway, as well as several smooth and shiny stones as an extra precaution, Sakura boldly turned around to face whatever dangers might be approaching her. Only to have her hostile look of anticipation, be met with the sight of the same unusual creature from the woods, limping steadily behind her. "…You _again_? You sure are persistent, huh? I already told you, I can't help." Sakura said sadly. Once again, Sakura felt extremely silly and flushed bright red after catching herself, communicating with the wild fox as if it were able to understand every word she said.

Turning her back to the injured animal in hopes of ignoring it and focusing on arriving at her destination, she whispered sadly, "I really am sorry... I just… don't want to interfere… it's better to just let nature take its course." But as she was about to continue walking, she heard the most heartbreakingly pitiful sound she'd ever heard in her life, instantly shattering any will-power and resolve she might have had left.

Slowly, she turned around at the sound of the wounded canine's pitiful cries of distress, calling out to her like the sincerest of pleas, successfully tugging at her heartstrings. Sakura sighed, knowing that the pesky animal had definitely won her over. And though it was done by the lowest and most unfair of methods, playing off her emotions, the clever animal had managed to persuade her to treat it. And so, Sakura had to grudgingly commend it for its display of wit.

Thinking she would have to somehow lure the fox to her in order to take it home where she could properly treat it, Sakura crouched on the ground, arms stretched out, beckoning the gorgeous golden fox nearer. To her surprise, the animal willingly trotted, body battered but pride still very much in tact, as fast as its painful injuries would allow, into her open and waiting arms.

"Well, that was fairly easy." Sakura quietly said to her self once the weakened fox had been safely secured.

Traveling the rest of the way home without further incidents, Sakura wasted no time in cleaning the fox's wounds as well as the beautiful beast itself, feeding it some canned meat which it gladly gobbled down, and fixing it a makeshift bed on a pile of old, yet warm fleece blankets, just a few feet away from her own.

Then, she repeated the same process of washing, eating, and preparing for bed for herself, with just a little more fatigue and a little less enthusiasm. Finally, as she climbed into bed, she spared the little creature curled comfortably on the blankets one last glance and a gentle smile, before turning off the lamp at her bedside and drifting off to sleep.


	2. Not What It Seems

**Okay, let me first just start off by saying thank-you all very, bery much! I didn't realize a tory like this which I'd just created on a whim could get so much publicity. Especially since I didn't really see anything eye-catchingly amazing in the first chapter. But maybe I'm just being modest and it's even better than I thought. At any rate, thanks again, this chapter is dedicated to all of those who read and reviewed the last chapter. You know who you are. **

**I got approximately seven reviews. Seven is my lucky number, and always has been. That is partially the reason why team seven is my favorite, aside from the fact I just like the members and relate to them the best out of all the other characters. Except Kakashi and Sasuke; Kakashi is just cool and Sasuke is well… **

**I'm not really into the whole emo scene but I have emo friends and I just love it when Sasuke loses his temper and therefore his cool and has his brief little moments. If you know what I mean that you know it's hilarious to watch. Like episode 110 when they were trying to see Kakashi's face and Sasuke came up with the whole plan to ambush him at the hot springs. If you haven't watched it yet, you should, but it'll probably make you die laughing. Anyway…please read this and enjoy.**

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**Chapter Two**:

_Not What It Seems_

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**T**he next morning, Sakura woke up unusually early, earlier than she normally would. Slowly sitting up to stretch and rubbing the dreamer's dust **(1.)** from her eyes before groggily glancing around the room, her eyes caught the most unfamiliar sight of a figure curled up under a pile of blankets, sleeping peacefully in the corner. Her mint green eyes widened into a look of first shock, then fear, and, finally, realization.

The wheels in her head gradually begin to turn and grind together, as the information from the night before started to process, and the whole thing began to speed up as Sakura's brain came out of 'sleep mode' and stabilized into a state of proper functioning.

_Oh, it's just that fox I rescued. It must still be sleeping. I'll let it rest for a bit longer before I go to check on it and re-bandage it's wounds…_ Sakura thought, before silently slipping out of bed and into her fuzzy pink slippers located nearby. Quietly tiptoeing toward the bathroom, Sakura slowly opened the door and softly shut it back so as not to disturb her new guest. After Sakura had finally finished relieving herself and washing her hands, she grabbed a first aid kit from the medicine cabinet and some extra wrap incase she needed it and headed back into her room to check up on her tired little patient.

Stepping over to where the creature had bundled itself up and kneeling down on one knee, she began to take out the things she might need before setting them down and carefully tugging on one end of the blanket so she could inspect the fox's injuries. When Sakura saw what was lying beneath the blankets her face blanched, her body went numb, her mind froze, and she felt as if her heart had even stopped beating momentarily. The first thing she could think of after finally coming to her senses was screaming. So she did. It was a shrill, loud sound that instantly reached the sensitive ears of the snoozing stranger and startled him awake.

He bolted up; spiky blonde hair sticking wildly in every direction, face showing signs of fatigue, alarm, and confusion, clouded blue eyes mirroring his facial expressions, and finally, to Sakura's utter lustfulness, revealing a nicely tanned, chiseled and toned upper torso, partially wrapped up in bandages, the sight of which, caused Sakura to blush terribly. By now, Sakura's screaming had ceased and she was engaged in an intense, if not somewhat passionate stare off with the handsome stranger she'd discovered in place of the gorgeous fox she'd helped the previous night.

The fleeting thought that this could be the fox from before turned human after being helped by a kind girl crossed her mind, but then she quickly dismissed it as being utterly ridiculous and totally impossible. Telling herself she'd been watching far too many late night fantasies, and reading too many sci-fi and romance novels. At last, the silence was broken, somewhat surprisingly, by none other than the strange intruder himself.

"Hey, are you the one who treated my wounds? If so, I really need to say thanks a lot, you did a really good job." he said politely, casting her a charming grin.

The very essence of which, reminded Sakura of a fox, causing her brief ponderings that by some strange and fateful chance this was in fact the same fox she'd helped, now taken on a more humanistic form to better suit and adapt to his changing situation to suddenly resurface. Yet once again, Sakura dismissed her own notions as crazy and irritatingly foolish.

'**Well, whoever or whatever he is, he's hot as hell and **_**naked**_**…in our bedroom! So, I'm not gonna complain.' **This was Sakura's oh-so annoying inner self speaking, deciding to make her opinions heard. Sakura felt a major migraine coming on. As if she really needed or wanted her two-cents at a time like this.

Sakura inwardly scoffed in response, '_You__, not complaining? That's a first.'_

'**Haha… That was so funny I almost couldn't control myself from rolling around on the non-existent floor of your mind and laughing hysterically,'** the obnoxious inner replied, her disembodied voice heavily laced with sarcasm.

Sakura was brought back to reality by the gentle yet, firm touch of the gorgeous blonde man before her. "Hey, are you alright, Sakura?"

Sakura felt her heart skip a beat, then stop, then start back up again, hammering to a totally off rhythm all its own. "H-How did you know my name?" she asked hesitantly, almost afraid to know the answer. Being a smart girl, Sakura knew there were only but a few ways this stranger could know her name, all of which seemed impossible and highly unlikely. And a few just were plain abnormal.

One way could be that they'd met before, perhaps as children some years ago, but Sakura knew this could not be possible, because she kept in touch with all her childhood friends, and was certainly not one to forget a face, especially not one as lovely and breath-taking as his. And even if he had looked much different as a child, Sakura knew she could never have known him because surely if nothing else she would have remembered his strikingly blue eyes. Another could be that he'd been stalking her for quite some while, but she'd rather not believe that this beautiful man was an overly obsessive stalker that she'd foolishly allowed into her home, should he turn out to be the same golden fox that had now since disappeared. But really, what were the odds of that?

"Hey, are you even listening?"

"Huh, did you say something?" Sakura asked, flushing bright red from embarrassment.

"Yeah, I said it's hard not to recognize you, what with the pink hair and all…" he repeated, stretching out his well-muscled arms high above his head, causing the blankets to slip down even further until they rested just below his navel.

Sakura squeaked in surprise, quickly averting her gaze from the eye-catching man, somewhat ashamed at her inner's rants of rage and extreme reluctance to turn away. "I still don't understand…" she mumbled, still facing away from him until her heavy scarlet blush died down, "…even though I agree; it _is_ easy to spot me, because of my pink hair…but, even then, you'd still have to know who you were looking for, otherwise, you might as well confuse me for some sideshow circus freak."

There was a brief moment of awkward silence, before the air was penetrated by the foxy man's warm laugh. As soon as she heard it, Sakura's newly regained pale complexion lit bright cardinal red, yet again. She told herself she just couldn't help it. His laugh was just so…so mesmerizing, charming, and smooth. It made her want to melt. She inwardly kicked herself. And she thought her friend Ino was a sappy, overly-romantic, mush-minded nut job...

"Silly Sakura, I could never see you as a circus freak, even if I tried. To me, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on, and I mean that with the utmost sincerity," he said solemnly, once he regained his composure.

Sakura just couldn't help but feel extremely flattered, as her heart soared in her chest, her inner self swooned, and her face became the perfect resemblance of a bright cherry red tomato. She knew she should be wary of waking up to find a strange man who she didn't know or recognize sleeping on the floor of her bedroom, but something about her set her at ease and told her there was nothing about him to fear.

"But to be honest," he began, and Sakura found herself once again hypnotically drawn to the sound of his engagingly robust voice. "I did sort of have a clue of what to look for… My superiors…they told me to come to Konoha and look for Sakura Haruno, and that she'd be the one with the mint green eyes and pretty pink hair." At this, Sakura flushed a pink that almost rivaled that of her most unusual hair color. "…Okay, so maybe I added the 'pretty' part, but, I'd say you fit the description nicely, wouldn't you?"

Sakura nodded numbly, still unable to completely soak in all the information that was flooding around her. So then, finding that fox in the woods, wasn't just a coincidence? Had he in fact been sent to find her instead? Who did this handsome man work for? And why had he been looking for her in the first place?

"I'm at a disadvantage then," Sakura said.

"What do you mean?" he asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"You know my name, but I don't know yours." she replied simply.

"Hmm…That's true. Well, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, vessel of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon and future ruler of the spirit world," he said, puffing out his chest and pointing to himself proudly.

Sakura blinked. Fox Demon? Spirit world? What was he going on about? It'd be just her luck that she'd finally meet a good looking guy that turns out not only to be a stalker, but a grade-A candidate for a one way ticket to the loony bin, too.

"What? What's with that skeptical look? Don't you believe me…? …I can see you need more convincing. So I guess I'll just have to prove it to you." And with that, the man hopped up, throwing off the warm covers, and caused Sakura to squeak in surprise before quickly turning her head the other way, glad she was able to avert her gaze in time to avoid the trickling of crimson fluids leaking steadily from her nose. She was startled once again, as something soft, warm and fluffy brushed against her face, gently caressing her cheek. She turned slowly, gasping as she saw the familiar golden fox, grinning widely in his devilishly delightful way.

She blinked in surprise. "So, then, you really are the fox I rescued…?" she asked the golden creature cautiously.

The fox vigorously nodded his head, happy and proud of himself for finding a way to present sufficient proof for his case. Now it would be a whole lot easier to convince her to trust him. He knew they'd need to have complete faith in each other if they were to survive on the grueling journey that lay ahead. But for Naruto, the fact that she'd saved his life, albeit a bit hesitantly, when he didn't have enough energy left to treat his own wounds, was enough for him to put more faith in her then he'd ever put in anyone else in his entire lifetime.

'_That's right Sakura-chan; I am. And you, my lovely little vixen, are my savior. I am forever in your debt. I promise to protect and guide you in any way I possibly can._' Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. He was in his fox-form, and foxes, no matter how intelligent, didn't talk. Even if they were only half-fox, Sakura still found it to be a bit…strange, especially considering the fact that Naruto wasn't even moving his mouth, or muzzle, in this case. '_It's alright, Sakura-chan. I'm talking to you using telepathy. Pretty cool, isn't it?'_

'_Yes, very cool, but also super creepy._' Sakura thought, not realizing Naruto had heard because he was still using a telepathic link to connect to her mind.

'_I'm sorry if it creeps you out, Sakura-chan. But it's the only way I can communicate in my fox form. I'm sure you'll get used to it eventually._' Naruto replied, sounding genuinely apologetic for alarming her.

He imagined he might find it pretty bizarre too, if it weren't for the fact that in his home, the Demon Spirit World, where everyone either was a demon or directly descended from one, everyone used telepathic communication, so it was pretty much considered to be the norm. Some even preferred it to actual speech, because no one could possibly but in your conversation by reading your mind once you were already engaged in a chat with someone else. But apparently, that wasn't the case here in the world of mortals, and he knew that in order to help him blend in and adapt quickly, he would have to be more careful before revealing his abilities in front of others who didn't already know about them.

'_Umm…that's okay, Naruto; I'm sure you didn't mean to scare me. I guess I will eventually get used to the whole talking through telepathy thing…_' she replied, although she still sounded somewhat hesitant.

Naruto's furry little face became even cuter when he sent her a goofy fox smile, wagging his bushy tail furiously. He was glad Sakura was so kind and understanding. He hadn't known her for very long and he really liked her already! In his excitement, he suddenly lost all control and launched himself at the girl, losing his concentration and therefore, dropping the transformation in the process. Because in order for a Demon to remain in whatever form they chose, they had to maintain concentration, continuously reminding themselves of whatever they were supposed to look like, until they had mastered the art of transformation enough so that they wouldn't have to consciously make an effort to keep their form from wavering in and out. But, unfortunately, for Sakura, Naruto had yet to master that kind of self-control, and so, when a flurry of human hormones and emotions suddenly hit him, he thoughtlessly sprang to hug the pinkette in gratitude.

And instead of having a cute golden fox nuzzling her, and fondly licking her face, Sakura had an energetic, nicely toned, and completely _naked_ Naruto, leaning over her so his hands were on either side of her head and she was pinned underneath him, affectionately licking her. That might have been a whole lot sweeter and less uncomfortable, if those 'little licks of love' had been from an actual fox, not a Fox Demon hybrid that had problems maintaining control of, and choosing which form to remain in… And currently, he looked more like a sexy male human with an overflow of lustful teenage hormones than a cute and cuddly fox, innocently trying to show his animalistic affections.

Now, Sakura slowly opened her eyes, after having instinctively closing them immediately after being tackled, the same time Naruto opened his own after coming down from his temporary hormonal-high. They made eye contact, and immediately after realizing their position, both blushed fiercely, Sakura's sensible quickly taking affect before her perverted inner had a chance to take the opportunity and temporarily gain control of her thoughts and actions, provoking something that they would all regret in the end. Sakura, of course, screamed for the second time that morning; but this time, Naruto screamed in unison, both scrambling away from each other, swiftly turning to face opposite walls.

"I-I think you should p-put some clothes on…" Sakura finally managed to squeak out in embarrassment.

"Y-Yeah," Naruto replied, though she was still turned away from him she imagined his face was just as heavily painted with deep crimson as hers was. Then it occurred to her that she had found him naked when she woke up, covered in nothing more than the bandages she'd so carefully taken the time to wrap upon him the night before, and that he had nothing to change into.

She sighed, figuring she'd have to lend him some of her _own _baggytomboyish clothes for the time being,---the one's Ino had forbid her to wear in public because she claimed it was too easy for her to be mistaken for a pink-haired transsexual and so had been collecting dust in the old wooden trunk she kept them in--- until they could find something else more appropriate for him to wear. Anything was better than having him walk around the apartment completely naked.

She crawled over to the nearby trunk and rummaged through it, snatching up the first decent looking clothes (including a pair of her super baggy boy boxers she used to wear around the house, before Ino banned her from doing that too) she saw and blindly tossing them backwards over her shoulder with a squeak of "H-H-Here, take these."

"T-Thanks…" he mumbled back quietly. And then there was the quiet rustling of fabric as he slipped the orange and black tracksuit she'd lent him on. She turned around when she heard the zipper zip and instantly marveled at how even the simplest of clothes could somehow shine like the fanciest of outfits whenever he was wearing them. There he stood, broad shouldered and tall, almost six feet.

Orange and black track jacket unzipped to reveal a muscular torso in a tight black t-shirt, bottom half covered in old gray sweatpants, and long blond locks falling into his eyes in a heavy fringe, two equally lengthy pieces falling to frame either side of his face. All this was only highlighted by his six odd whisker-like markings, three stretched across both cheeks, and an academy-award winning smile, as he beamed at her, wondrous ocean blue eyes reflecting the glow. The clothes may have been baggy on her small frame, but they fit Naruto's much larger, broader one perfectly.

Sakura caught her breath. He was even more gorgeous than before, if that was at all possible. "I take that as I sign that I look alright," he asked teasingly, sending her a playful grin.

She nodded slowly, tilting her head downward so that her bubble gum pink bangs covered her eyes and gazing at the floor in feigned interest, shuffling her feet to and fro, suddenly inexplicably bashful. "You look more than just alright. You look positively amazing," she said without thinking. A gasp of shock escaped her lips as she realized what she'd said and her face once again lit up like a string of red lights on a Christmas tree, she momentarily lifted her head up to glance at him, only to lower it again in embarrassment a delicate hand firmly placed against her mouth to prevent any more utterly humiliating comments from escaping it.

She slowly peered upward at the sound of a deep chuckle bouncing off the walls and resonating around the room, circling around her and capturing her in a warm embrace that slowly eased all traces of awkwardness away. "Thank-you, Sakura-chan," he said. The way he said her name and the added suffix of 'chan' made Sakura feel as if she'd gone to heaven and taken a side trip to paradise on the way back down.

Then suddenly, Sakura's moment of mid-euphoric bliss was interrupted by a barrage of chiming on her front door, otherwise known as the doorbell, followed by the shrill cries of her long- time friend and rival, miss fashion princess herself, Ino Yamanaka.

"Forehead, forehead girl I know you're in there! Get your lazy butt up; this is no time for you to oversleep! Did you forget that you were supposed to meeting me at the coffee shop today at one 'o clock? It's already have past noon and I know you have a little habit of accidentally forgetting your commitments due to your super busy schedule, which is why I came to make sure you don't try to stand me up like you did the last three times!" she could hear Ino screeching from behind the closed front door, and she couldn't help but wonder if the noisy blonde ever got tired of talking so loud, or yelled herself hoarse.

Instantly, Sakura's mind went into a state of total panic. '_Oh no, it's Ino! And as usual she's got the worst possible timing imaginable. What'll I do?! I'm not even dressed yet and there's a strange man in my bedroom wearing my clothes, which she'll immediately recognize as mine because she knows she banned me of ever wearing them in public again. Actually, she told me to burn them! Knowing Ino, if she sees Naruto wearing my clothes she'll instantly assume the worst thing she can possibly conjure up and there'll be rumors flying all over Konoha! I've got to get Naruto to hide somewhere, and fast!_' Sakura thought frantically, her eyes glancing around in fear, desperately trying to find somewhere to hide the blonde kitsune before Ino barged right into the apartment using the extra house key Sakura had given her to use in an emergency.

Ironically enough she trusted Ino enough to give her access to her home, allowing her to come and go as she pleased. But she still knew better than to trust the blonde with any type of secret, major or minor, lest it be written about in the gossip corner of the school newspaper, which Ino just so happened to be in charge of, or spread across the four corners of the city like a raging wildfire.

"Quick," Sakura said, scrambling up from her crouched position on the floor and over to Naruto, grabbing his wrist and tugging urgently, for once not too infatuated by his movie star good looks or unearthly charm to think and act coherently, "You have to hide. My friend Ino is here and she's _really_ nosey. If she finds you here…there's no telling what kind of chaos she could cause." She began leading him up and down the hall, throwing open doors to several closets too full of junk to hide something as big as Naruto, finally coming across one that wasn't to crowded with useless items she never used anyway, and hurriedly shoving him into it, receiving a small whimper of protest from Naruto at suddenly being confined to such a small dark space.

"But-"

"_**Ssshh**!_" Sakura shushed him, a little harsher than intended, but effective all the same. "There's not time to explain. I'll be back as soon as I can. Just stay quiet and try not to move around too much, okay?" she asked him in a gentler tone, sending him a warm, pleading smile of reassurance.

Naruto lost himself in her sparkling light green eyes and the soft feminine features of her angelic face and couldn't help but nod deafly in compliance. "Don't worry Naruto. I'll get her out of here as fast as I can," she whispered quietly, before gently shutting the closet door and hurrying to the front door just as another sharp rap of Ino's knuckles came, telling her of the blonde's mounting impatience.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold your mud balls Ino-pig!" Sakura called making full use of the detested nickname she'd given Ino back in elementary school and receiving a growl of annoyance followed by a smart retort in response. Sakura open the door just as Ino rammed into it in a halfhearted attempt to knock the door off its hinges, sending them crashing to the floor in a head-on-collision.

They stayed there for a few minutes, bickering, and blaming one another for their non-existent injuries and trying to untangle themselves from the floor. Finally, Ino pulled herself up, brushing small pieces of imaginary dirt and lint off her glittery purple tank top indignantly and muttering snide remarks about clumsy, big-browed crybabies under her breath, before suddenly coming to a halt, stopping to take a long exaggerated whiff of the air. She turned to Sakura who had also picked herself up from the floor at last. The blonde sent her a quizzically arched-eyebrow look that said 'What have you been trying to hide from me? Because whatever it is I'm going to figure it out eventually.' to which she simply responded with a halfhearted angry scowl.

"Do you smell that?" Ino asked.

"Smell what" Sakura snapped back.

Ino took another long sniff of air before replying, "It smells like forest and damp earth and sandalwood and spices…altogether, a fragrance that could only be carried by a member of the opposite sex. A man…"

Sakura could have sworn her heart stopped beating. She mentally slapped herself on the forehead repeatedly while cursing Ino's acute sense of smell. For as long as she'd known her the girl had always had a nose like a bloodhound, which could probably be contributed to the fact that Ino spent whatever amount of her time that wasn't already devoted to shopping, playing matchmaker to all her friends, scoping out boys, and bugging her, hanging around in her family's flower shop, where she was constantly exposed to all sorts of highly fragrant flowers.

And Ino, being the flower fanatic that she was, could identify every last one of them and match the correct flowers to their smells, too. When they were younger, Sakura had thought it was absolutely amazing and had regarded Ino's special talent with wonder and admiration. But now she'd seen the trick a few too many times, and found it to be a regular nuisance, the way she could pick up on smells like some kind of police dog on the trail of a hot-blooded criminal. Sakura even had a theory that's how Ino got her latest stories and always seemed to know the latest tidbits of rumors at school before anyone else did. She used her nose just like a police dog, sniffing out a fresh trail and following it until it led her to her next big scoop.

"So tell me Sakura," Ino said, turning to her with a knowing smirk. Sakura longed to wipe that uppity smirk right off her smug, piggish face but knew if she acted high-strung, it would give Ino even more of a reason to be suspicious. "Who did you have, or still do have, hiding in here?"

Sakura tried to keep calm in the face of bossy yet brainy blonde know-it-all and responded as casually as she could, "Ino-pig, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Ino's smirk faltered into a frown and she crossed her arms over her chest impatiently, "Don't give me that Sakura. I know better. Besides, you're not very good at lying and I can see right through you. Have you forgotten that my dad's the chief of the interrogation department at the biggest prison in Konoha, second only to Ibiki Umino, head of interrogations. He specializes in breaking hardened criminals 'til they crack wide open like raw eggs dropped on the sidewalk. It's only natural that the old man would pass on a thing or two to his beloved daughter, right?"

Sakura cursed profusely in her mind, whishing more than anything that she could just literally kick Ino right out onto the front porch, or tie her to a chair and force her to watch reruns of the same outdated episodes from an old season of _Fashion and Flare,_ a popular TV show on a channel that talked about and showed things pertaining to nothing but fashion trends _all_. _day_. _long_. Watching old fashion tips being given again and again was a trendy girl like Ino, who greatly prided herself in being fashionably up-to-date's worst nightmare.

She knew lying wasn't her forte, but it bothered her that the meddlesome blonde could read her like an open book. And so she made on last desperate attempt to completely throw Ino for a loop and make her forget all about her suspicions, if only for the moment.

"You must be talking about the new air freshener I bought. I smelled it once in this fragrance store and I liked it so much I just had to go back and by it." Sakura lied smoothly.

She watched Ino's expression carefully, and for a minute, it seemed to be working as her shoulder's relaxed and her body uncoiled into a more calm posture. "Well okay, I guess I did overact a bit. Sorry, Sakura." Ino said, still smirking slightly.

Sakura breathed an inward sigh of relief, releasing a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. "I just thought you'd finally gotten yourself a man was all," she said playfully.

"All in good time, Ino-pig, all in good time," she smiled back, trying to act natural.

Then, at that moment, the worst possible thing that could have happened, did. In the storage closet Naruto was hiding in, a sudden shift in position caused him to accidently knock into a broom handle which knocked down a feather duster hanging from a rack over head and tickled his nose as it landed on his head, covering his eyes. Luckily for him, it was clean as Sakura prided herself in making sure all her cleaning items were spic and span before she put them back in order to make sure more germs weren't spread than killed each time she used them.

But unfortunately for the blonde fox and the pretty pinkette, a feather had landed right along Naruto's sensitve nose, and with each breath he took in, it rubbed along his nostrils just a bit, until finally, with an almighty expulsion of air, he sneezed. "_A-A-ACHOOO_!" It was so loud a sneeze that it shook the small closet walls and sent all the cleaning supplies toppling down onto poor Naruto.

If there was any chance she hadn't heard the sneeze, there was no such luck she hadn't heard the loud crash that followed, and Ino raced down the hall toward the source of the noise before Sakura had a chance to stop her.

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**Okay, that's the end of chapter two. I hope you all liked it. Sorry it took so long to update, there was just so many other things I had going on, you know? Anyway, about the dreamer's dust? It's my special word for the crusty stuff you have to rub out of your eyes sometimes after you wake up from a really long nap. I just made it up randomly, so yeah. It's a rather oppriate if I do say so myself. **

**What will happen next I wonder... Hmm... I guess you'll just have to stay tuned and find out. Thanks, and until next time, please read and review!**


	3. Feeling Foxy

**Okay, after seeing how you responded to the last chapter, I decided to go ahead and type up another one. So please enjoy it. And a quick little note: Naruto looks like his dad more or less, so imagine him with spikier hair and thicker bangs and basically resembling the Yondaime except he's (Naruto's) got whiskers. You have to admit, if you think of him like that, it's easy to see why Sakura was stumbling all over herself around him and acting all shy, unlike she normally does around the more childish- looking Naruto. I think boys and girls can both agree Naruto with his father's looks certainly seems more attractive than the regular Naruto, right?**

**Well, just wanted to get that in…anyway, on with the story. **

**P.S. I was gonna update this sooner, but there was something wrong with the site's document downloading system, and it was impossible to update the story until now. So sorry for the inconviencence! Blame it on the maintnence team!**

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**Chapter Three:**

_Feeling Foxy_

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**I**no raced down the hall without so much as even looking back in Sakura's direction. She already knew her pink-haired friend was hiding something and since she wouldn't tell her what or who it was, Ino decided to take matters into her own hands and find out what was going on for herself. As soon as Sakura realized what was happening she ran to catch up with Ino, lunging herself at the blonde girl so face it sent them both flying for the floor. "Ino, wait! Y-You can't go in there! That room is a mess! It's not presentable!"

Ino looked back at the panicky pinkette who was sprawled across her back in an attempt to pin her down and keep her from searching every room at the end of the hall until she found which one held the source of the noise. Ino scowled, quickly shoving Sakura off before standing up to brush the invisible dust off her sparkly purple outfit with a look of agitation etched across her flawless Barbie doll face.

"Sakura, what's gotten into you?! First you start acting all strange and nervous when I mention the weird smell, then you tackle me to the ground when I try and go figure out what that sound was. I know you're hiding something and I'm going to find out what whether you want me to or not, so you might as well just step aside and let me see what's in there!" Ino made another attempt to try and open the closet door, only to be blocked yet again by a now utterly desperate Sakura.

"Oh, c'mon now Ino, you don't wanna see that. It's just a room full of old crap anyway, nothing worth even wasting your time looking at. So why don't we just go to the kitchen and I'll make you a cup of fresh decaf latte espresso." Sakura offered, chuckling nervously all the while.

Ino looked at her as if she'd long since lost it. "That's funny…the last time I was here a few weeks ago, this room was a cleaning supply closet."

'_Ino, curse you and your photographic memory! Curse you to the seventh layer of hell!_' Sakura thought.

"And I've never known you to be the one to just randomly start switching things around like that for no apparent reason. You've always been like the Queen of Neat and Orderly. Besides," she continued, catching Sakura off guard and suddenly shoving her to the side. "We were supposed to be going to the coffee shop for a lunch date today, remember? That's what I came here for: to make sure you were ready on time so you wouldn't miss it." Ino said, giving her a skeptical look that said, '_And I thought I was supposed to be the dumb, ditzy blonde one..._'

Sakura couldn't get up in time and bit her lower lip anxiously, her heart pounding in terror as she helplessly watched Ino slowly turn the doorknob and open the closet door. Inside the closet, Naruto had been listening to the conversation with his highly sensitive fox-like ears, his heart also pounding in pure alarm as he heard Ino mention the masculine, outdoorsy smell, then the sound of light yet, hurried footsteps, as the curious blonde girl drew closer and closer to his location.

He'd heard Sakura try to stall for time by trying to change the current subject of interest, but to no avail. He knew she'd done everything she could to keep him and his secret safely hidden. But then he supposed it would be their secret now since he'd managed to involve her, albeit somewhat halfheartedly on her part.

At any rate, he figured that Sakura had already done so much for him in the short time since he'd known her, and the least he could do was to begin returning the favor starting right then and there. The doorknob began to turn slowly, as if building up the suspense like some kind of corny soap opera. He took this as his cue, closed his eyes tightly and began to concentrate. Focusing on which form he wished to take and making himself remember every detail, every distinctive characteristic he would gain as he made the switch.

Almost immediately, he begin to feel his body shrinking and the familiar prickling feeling on his skin as the coarse hairs on his arms and legs began to grow out and envelope his entire body, rapidly covering him in a thick coat of silky golden fur. His face became smaller as his mouth and nose tapered out into a long, fuzzy snout and the six smooth whisker marks that evenly graced each cheek became longer and sprang out like a jack from its box. This, along with the long, elegant, bushy tail and the two pointed fox ears now perched evenly on top of his head, told him the transformation was complete, all in the blink of an eye.

And not a moment too soon, as Ino opened the door to reveal a small golden fox with big, sparkling, blue eyes sitting calmly inside. He looked up at her, titling his head innocently and fixing his big blue eyes on her as if to say, '_I dare you to find a reason not to fall in love with a face as adorable as this one._'

Ino instantaneously found herself under the same fanatical spell as Sakura had been the moment she'd first laid eyes on the handsome golden-haired fox, captivated by the animal's cute charm and in awe of his unique shiny golden pelt, quite rare for a normal woodland fox, if ever there was a truly spectacular oddity. If only she knew that the seemingly "normal fox" was really anything but…

"Oh!" she exclaimed, bending down to pat the cute little creature on the head before swiftly scooping him up into her arms. "He's absolutely adorable, Sakura! Where'd you get him from? I can't believe you would try and hide something like this from me!" She cooed at the fox before turning around to scold her pink-haired friend.

"Well," Sakura began, "I wasn't really sure how you'd react to him…" she stated truthfully. "And I didn't really know you were such a big animal lover."

"Actually, I'm not." Ino confirmed. "But with an animal as cute as this one is, I just _have_ to make an exception." Sakura sweat dropped, embarrassed by her friend's behavior over a cute animal, even though she knew if she were Ino, she probably would've done the exact same thing.

"So, what's his name?" Ino asked excitedly.

"Oh, um, Naruto?" Sakura said nervously, as if speaking his name aloud would cause him to transform back again and somehow blow their cover. To her halfhearted surprise, and great relief, Naruto stayed just as he was an innocent-looking, cuddly, fair-furred fox.

"Oh, Naruto!" Ino squealed, and Naruto's ears lay flat against his skull, trying to block out the painfully high-pitched sound. "You're. _so_. _**cute**_!!!" Ino glomped the poor fox-morph, squeezing him tighter with each word.

'**Cha! And don't forget fluffy!!**' Inner Sakura added. (a/n: I suddenly thought of _Lilo and Stitch_, when Stitch says, "I'm. so. _cute_…and **fluffy**!!!" lol)

She continued to coo and gush over the fox that seemed to be purposely making cute gestures--- like wagging his tail happily, and giving her the puppy-dog face, accompanied by an equally innocent, wide blue-eyed stare ---just to see how she'd react. Sakura could have sworn she saw him turn and wink at her with a sly foxy smirk plastered across his fluffy, whiskered face. But then she remembered that the fox wasn't really a fox at all, well, at least not entirely, and that Naruto was still in total control of his actions. Everything would be fine just as long as he made sure to keep himself in check.

"So, Sakura, it's a good thing I came over here. It's almost time for our little lunch and coffee date and you're not even ready yet. Go hurry up and get dressed," Ino commanded, shifting Naruto so that she was clutching him with one arm like a child with a favorite toy, while she used the other to push Sakura, and steer her along toward the bathroom, shoving her inside so that the pinkette almost slipped on the tiled floors and lost her balance, before quickly slamming it shut without so much as an apology.

"I'll wait out here for you," she called.

Sakura glared holes through the wooden door, hoping that they reached the form of the loud-mouthed blond. "Forceful, bossy, and impatient as usual…" she grumbled quietly, taking off her long-sleeved lime green flannel pajama shirt, and removing the black tank top she wore under it, before slipping out of the matching lime green pajama pants and underwear, folding the clothes neatly and placing them on a nearby towel rack beside a fluffy white and pink towel, turning on the shower, waiting for it to adjust to the right temperature and climbing in.

A mere fifteen minutes later, she climbed back out, after already having brushing her teeth the first time she'd gotten up and gone to the bathroom, her hair was damp and smelled like her strawberry and cherry blossom shampoo, and her body was freezing, causing her to quickly snatch the towel off the rack and wrap it around her cold, curvaceous form. She tucked one corner of the towel in to hold it up and grabbed her battery-powered blow-dryer from the countertop, walking into her bedroom and laying the blow-dryer down on her bed before going to her closet and picking out the outfit she wanted to wear.

She took some clean underclothes from her dresser and then proceeded to put on the casual attire: a light blue halter top that stopped just above her navel with a sleeveless hooded mini-jacket and tight-fitting but comfortable navy blue denims. She decided to add some accessories for a little extra touchup, choosing a fancy charm necklace with a beautiful and intricately designed pastel pink flower that matched her hair as the center piece, and a leather wristband with small silver studs. Satisfied with her look, she exited the room, walking down the hall and toward the living room, where the noises of cooing and gushing could be heard, only to see Ino on the large tan sofa, all but smothering the cute little furball that was Naruto.

'_Sakura-chan, thank Kami you're back! This chick is crazy! She's been going on and on about fashion, and her old crushes, and pointless crap that I really don't want to know about!_' Naruto's message was filled with the utmost urgency, yet still Sakura couldn't help but stifle a small laugh.

'_Yep, that's Ino-pig for you. She's fine at first but then she gets all talkative and obsessive and it's __so__ annoying! Sometimes I can't help but wonder how we've been best friends so long, or why I even keep her around for that matter._'

Naruto sent her a foxy grin over Ino's shoulder as she continued to ramble on endlessly, not even noticing that Sakura had returned, fully dressed and ready to go.

'_Yeah, I know what you mean; I've got a friend kinda like that back home in the Spirit World. Only his problem is that he hardly ever talks at all. All he ever really says is 'hn'! I'm starting to think he's gay or asexual or something along those lines…I mean, he's a total stud that can get any girl to turn into a quivering puddle at his feet just by like looking at her, and he doesn't even bat an eye! But I've known him ever since I was a kit, and he's come to be like my brother and my best friend. Even though we fight and act like we want to rip each others throats out sometimes, I know I'll always have his back and he'll have mine and I wouldn't trade him for the world._'

Sakura couldn't help but smile at this. '_That's great, Naruto. I'm glad you've got someone you're close with to look out for you and vise versa. I'd love to meet him sometime if I could._'

'_Yeah, sure, Sakura-chan! I can't say he'd love to meet you, he can be kind of cold at times, especially around girls since he seems to think they're all fan girls our something, but I bet he wouldn't mind that much. And maybe he'd even-_' His train of thought was broken when Ino finally looked up and noticed Sakura standing there, calling her name in surprised greeting, therefore ending their conversation.

"So, you're finally ready to go now?" Ino asked, standing up from her seat, still holding onto Naruto.

"Yeah, I think so…" she said, furrowing her brow slightly as if thinking of anything she could have forgotten.

"Well if you are then let's get going. My cars parked out in front of the 'T' building, because I couldn't find any more spaces in the 'S' section and-"

"Oh, wait! I just remembered I left my purse in my room and it's got my wallet in it! I'll be right back!" she said, not waiting for Ino's response as she dashed down the hall and flung open her room door before going in to retrieve the almost forgotten item.

Ino, already standing with her perfectly manicured hand on the brass doorknob, and the other holding the silky golden fox aloft, followed after her pink-haired friend with her curious gaze. "Hmm… She's looking awfully stylish today…Usually I have to force her to change into something more appropriate and less gaudy. I wonder who she's trying to impress...?" she asked the soft creature she held.

He simply cocked his head to the side in response.

* * *

"Ino, I've already told you a million times; he's a boy!! As in no frilly pink bows, or cute little T-shirts that say 'Doggy Diva' or 'Pompom Poodle Princess'. He's not really even a dog, in case you haven't noticed!" Sakura sighed in exasperation, rejecting the accessories Ino brought her for what seemed the hundredth thousandth time.

They were currently in the local pet store, trying to find things to get Naruto to make him feel more at home in Sakura's small two bedroom apartment. Ino had been the one to suggest it as it seemed she'd taken a liking to the sunny yellow kitsune. But Sakura couldn't blame her for that; he was just too hard to resist him in his fox form. Kami only know the cat fight that could erupt if Ino were to discover what he looked like in his more humanistic form... But Sakura hoped that wouldn't happen.

After leaving Sakura's apartment, they'd had to change their choice of lunch spots as the café they'd planned on going to did not allow pets or animals of any sort whatsoever. Finally, after driving all over town in search of someplace, any place that would cater to humans and foxes alike, they stumbled across a quaint little shop called Ichiraku's Noodle Bar, and were able to get a small booth there, but only because the owner was apparently good friend's with Ino's aunt or something like that. Anyway, it didn't matter to the two girls and their charge just as long as they all got fed. They all ate their fill and Naruto seemed to be hooked on ramen by the end of the meal.

'_It's the best thing I've ever tasted! I can't believe I've gone all these years without something so wonderful in my life!_' he'd told Sakura telepathically, while slurping down his sixth bowl of the thick tasty broth and strands of long yellow noodles called ramen.

Sakura now sat on a bench near the front of the store with Naruto on her lap, every once in a while, Ino would come and show her things that were meant for small female lapdogs and Sakura would look at the items in disapproval, sending her away with a dismissive flick of her wrist and Naruto would turn up his nose in obvious disgust.

'_What does she think I am, some kind of prized pink poodle or something?! I'll have her know that Naruto Uzumaki is nobody's show bitch!_' he scoffed, and Sakura snorted with small bouts of laughter. It was becoming easier to be herself around Naruto, as he'd open up to her and vise versa. She was really beginning to trust him.

'_Say Naruto,_' Sakura started, as they sat there waiting on Ino to pick out a decent dog bed. Sakura wasn't _really_ trying to help because she knew Naruto didn't _really_ need any of it, since he wasn't _really_ an animal. Of course, she couldn't explain this to Ino so she just told her that she'd prefer to let her do the choosing since she was so good at finding things that really suited a person, or in this case a 'pet' playing off of her pride and stroking her already overly inflated ego. It didn't really matter to Sakura what she bought in the end anyways since Ino had already offered to pay using her own money. Besides, Sakura had already spotted her for lunch since Ino claimed she'd been the one to inconvenience them and go get a new pet without telling her therefore causing them to change their plans so last minutely. In short, Ino had goaded her into paying for lunch, and Sakura was using this little pet shop excursion as payback.

'_Yeah, Sakura-chan?_' Naruto responded, yawning lazily.

'_I've been wandering since we met, well, since you first revealed your true form this morning, what exactly did you come here for, and why were you sent to find me?_' Sakura asked the question that'd been plaguing her mind since they'd first talked using telepathy.

Naruto hopped down and paced the floor a few times before finally sitting down in front of Sakura and staring straight up at her with his glimmering blue eyes.

'_Well, like I said earlier, I'm a demon fox hybrid, sent here from my world to yours by my bosses, the great Demonic Republic Committee,_ '

'_The what committee?_'

'_It's a council made up of some of the oldest, wisest, and in my opinion, most annoying demons in the entire Demonic Universe. There are at least five representatives from each land, one from each region of the land, and they govern over our world as a whole. I'm what's called an Anbu Demon there; a special agent that's sent on a mission of great importance whenever something comes up and I'm needed._' Naruto explained.

'_Oh, I see now. So you were sent on some kind of mission by your world's council to find me for something?_' Sakura said.

'_Yes, you're the apprentice of Tsunade-baachan, correct?_'

Sakura was now both thoroughly surprised and utterly intrigued, wondering where this could all be heading to. What could her mentor possibly have to do with any of this? '_Yes, I am. What about it?_' Sakura asked curiously.

'_The truth is Sakura, the council actually sent me here to find Tsunade, not you, per say. But, I was also told to track down her apprentice if I thought it might lead to clues of her whereabouts. She's notoriously hard to get a hold of, you know. Anyway, I was attacked by some weird goons in the woods immediately after I got here. I fought them off as best I could, but there were too many to take on all by myself, and I was severely wounded and didn't have enough energy left to heal myself, and whenever a demon grows weak, they're temporarily trapped in whatever form they're injured in._'

Sakura's mind was racing a hundred miles a minute, trying to process the information being thrown at her like a professionally pitched baseball. '_Okay, I think I get it now… This story is finally starting to come together, little by little, piece by piece…But what I want to know is, what does Tsunade-shisou, or me for that matter, have to do with your world, or any of this?_'

Naruto cocked his furry head to one side and his eyes seemed to show obvious disbelief. '_You mean, you're the old hag's apprentice and she still never told you anything about her past? Sheesh, ero-sanin tells me everything, even the stuff I really don't wanna know…'_

'_What are you talking about, Naruto? Please tell me! Whatever it is, if it involves me, then I think I deserve to know,' _Sakura said firmly.

Naruto sighed a long, purposely drawn out sigh, the kind you give when you know you're going to have to explain something you really don't want to and it's going to take a while for you to get it all out, because it's the kind of explanation that requires you to recall and relay every single detail without cutting any corners.

'_Tsunade…isn't who you think she is,_' he began.

'..._Then…just who is she?_'

'_She's originally from my world. She's a legend there, one of the three most powerful beings that ever were. They call her a sanin, and I'm told she's an expert on medicines and healing techniques of all kinds, one of the best healers who ever lived, period. She's also supposed to be super strong, capable of crushing boulders with one hand and reconstructing fractured bones with the other. __Apparently, according to the old geezers on the Committee she relocated here after the Third Shinobi War we had way back before I was even born. She lost everything and everyone important to her during that time, and so she ran away to the human world to forget her past and escape the pain._

_ But she's needed there again, there's a crisis, and we've recently been left without a means to stop it. The DRC think ol' grandma Tsunade may hold some answers, and they need her fighting skills and healing abilities, badly. __There's a powerful and dangerous rogue demon on the loose and I'm pretty sure he might've had ties to Tsunade or something like that. He goes by the name of Orochimaru and I've even had a few run-ins myself with the snake bastard. He's after one of my friends, and he's mad for power, he'll do anything to get it, anything! He has to be stopped, or he'll keep going until he destroys my world, yours, and every other one in between._' Naruto took a deep breath after he was finally through explaining.

Sakura, on the other hand, was trying to absorb everything and figure out how she tied into all of it. If Tsunade was the one with the powers and the answers, then what the hell did they want with her? She didn't have time to ask Naruto this; however, for at exactly that moment, Ino came back with her arms full of assorted pet products from chew toys to milk bones, beckoning them along as she staggered toward the checkout.

Sakura followed her silently, Naruto trotting along faithfully at her side. As the clerk rang up the purchases and Ino argued with another employee about getting a discount for all the items she'd bought, Sakura stood still in thought, only one thing continuously echoing throughout her mind: '_Tsunade-shisou, you've got some serious explaining to do…!_'

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**That's the end of this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it, and please stay tuned for the next chapter. The search for Tsunade and the truth is on! After she explains everything, if she explains everything...Will Sakura finally learn what role she really plays in all this? Can the menace Orochimaru be stopped? Are there more like Naruto who have already entered the human world? Where are they? Why the hell am I asking so many questions that only I have the answer to?! lol Ja ne!**


	4. Looking for Lady Luck Or Lack There of

**Authoress' Note:**

**Okay this is chapter four! As I mentioned in the last chapter, the search for Tsunade and the real quests begins here. So get ready for some more excitement and adventure as Sakura and Naruto set out to look for the slug sanin and save their worlds from the clutches of the corrupted snake sanin, Orochimaru. **

**Oh, and even though this is listed as adventure/fantasy, don't think there won't be some fluff, humor and romance here and there. Although I try to deny it, the truth is…as a Pisces, I'm also a hopeless romantic…*sigh***

**So there has to be just a bit of romance in every fic I read or write for me to really get into it. Don't worry though; I'll try to keep it balanced out and avoid having this whole thing turn into a mush fest. This chapter was really fun and easy to think up, so I hope it'll be just as enjoyable to read. Thanks for all your support so far, and as always, please review at the end, okay?**

**P.S. This is a warning! This chapter may contain some mildly explicit adulterated themes, bordering on T+. So if you think I need to up the rating to 'M', then I will gladly do so for the sake of the readers. But otherwise, it should still be pretty good, seeing as even the explicit material is still what would be considered 'normal teen stuff' today; so don't worry 'kiddies'! **

**P.S.S. **

**I'm officially on my first full day of spring break, so I should have more time to type and update this fic along with some of my others. But it all depends on how busy I am and how lazy I get. Most of the time, I have time to update, but I get so bored and distracted when I'm typing up the initial rough draft that I usually end up getting side-tracked. So sorry, I'll try to work on that...! * rubs back of neck and grins sheepishly***

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Chapter Four:

_Looking for Lady Luck (Or Lack There Of…)_

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**I**t took Sakura quite some time to convince Ino to leave them be. She had to all but beat her up to get her to buzz off. Either she wasn't good at taking hints, or she was too good at ignoring them. Nevertheless, with some tactful persuasion and some string pulling at a few of Ino's favorite choice department stores (one of the cosmetologist there owed her a few favors) , she was finally able to ditch the nagging blonde girl, in search of her apparently super secretive sensei.

After dumping the previously purchased things that were supposed to be for Naruto to use off at Sakura's little suburban apartment, the healer's student and the yellow-furred demon set off at a sprint down the road toward the local pub a mere few blocks away.

'_One thing I do know… is that Tsunade-shisou is as notorious for being a devoted drunk in my world as she is for being a healer in yours. Since I've been working so hard and even putting in extra hours lately, I got her to give me today off, and there just so happened to be a student council meeting scheduled for today, even though there was no school. With me gone, and her other assistant at the vet's office with her sick pet pig, she's going to have a lot of extra paperwork to fill out…And Tsunade likes to relieve stressful days at work by downing her problems with a huge bottle of sake. She's also got a heavy penchant for gambling, and without me or Shizune there to watch her, who knows what kind of trouble she could get herself into…' _Sakura explained between pants.

_'And she's as stubborn as an ox, which means she won't leave the table until she's won. …The only problem is, she hasn't won a single game in some fifteen years from what Shizune told me,_'

It was hard to run and talk, even through telepathy, because it still took a great deal of energy and concentration to keep the connection strong and stable, and Sakura hadn't yet achieved such profound mental endurance. Naruto, on the other hand, who had been using telepathy all his life, had no difficulty whatsoever in maintaining control over his end of the mental link, and felt absolutely no extra strain from doing two things that both required an equal amount of vigor and focus at once.

'_So, the 'great slug sanin', Tsunade, is nothing but a drunken old has-been on a permanent losing streak, huh? Somehow, that doesn't really surprise me. From the way Jiraiya and the Committee talked about her, she seemed kind of overrated…_' Naruto smiled his devilish fox-like smile as he ran along side Sakura on all fours, concealed in the shiny gold pelt of his full fox form.

'_Hey, I wouldn't go that far! She's a tough taskmaster, and she can be pretty strict on the rules and stuff… She doesn't even cut me any slack, and I'm her personal assistant! The one who dragged her intoxicated ass back to my apartment the night she got totally wasted at some bar and lost all her money in a poker game when Shizune had to go out of town for a nurse's convention!! But still, the point is that she's important to me, and in her weird sort of way, I know she cares about me and other people deep down. I've looked up to her for awhile now, and I've always admired the way she's so strong and free-spirited and capable of taking care of herself, because those are things I never really was as a little girl… …I always relied on others to do everything for me, and when I tried to do something by myself, they wouldn't let me because they thought I was too weak and I'd just get hurt.'_ She got caught up in a whirlwind of reminiscent memories, and the far-off look in her eyes told Naruto that her mind had temporarily headed for parts and places unknown, at least to him. Sakura seemed to be quite familiar with them.

_' When she took me under her wing as an apprentice a few years ago, for the first time in my life it made me feel competent and like I was able to do something without having people always watching over my shoulder. She treated me like a mature, responsible young woman, not some weak little crybaby. It made me feel good about myself, being around her helped me discover my more confident, independent side,'_ Sakura confessed.

Naruto looked at her from the corner of his eye, surprised to see the far-off look still present in the girl's sparkling pea green eyes. '_Hmph, some role model… …she's an alcoholic and a wannabe hustler, for Kyuubi's sake!! What kind of medic promotes soliciting and brings a minor to a bar?! And if she's so competent, why's she always getting drunk somewhere and needing you or her other helper to haul her ass home? Sorry Sakura-chan, but that's pretty pathetic…_' Naruto rolled his eyes, scoffing quietly.

'_Yeah well, I don't exactly approve of her habits... …But she's been drinking for a long time, even before I knew her! So surely she knows of all the risks by now. And besides, I figure she must have her reasons, and everyone has their ways of dealing with stress, right? I'm not going to hold it against her, let's just leave it at that,' _Sakura said, as they neared the place they hoped to find Tsunade. It was her usual hangout, a tavern called _The Sizzling Sake_.

Sakura and Naruto dashed around a corner. Naruto ran into an alleyway at the side of the bar as Sakura took out some old clothes she'd packed him from the book bag she was wearing and tossed them in the air. Naruto caught them in his mouth and disappeared momentarily, followed by a quick but bright flash of lights and then a redressed, handsome blonde man reemerging a few minutes later. For some reason, even though she'd seen him in human form before, Sakura couldn't help but blush at the sight of him, dressed in her old, baggy cargo pants that hung slightly loose on his waist, tight black t-shirt that showcased his abs and lean upper torso, and a black and orange jacket that someone had given her as a joke one year for her birthday, knowing good and well she'd probably never wear such an outrageous thing as that.

She turned away quickly, hoping he hadn't seen the bright scarlet blush that flared across both her cheeks. It seemed he hadn't though, luckily for her, as he merely reached over her shoulder and grabbed the door's handle, causing him to lean into her, and Sakura to squeak softly in surprise.

"You ready?" he asked, oblivious to her strange behavior or their somewhat compromising position.

"Yeah, let's go," she mumbled back quietly.

As they entered the pub, all eyes seemed to instantly turn to them. Some burly looking men briefly stopped guzzling their beer at the bar to eye the newcomers, particularly Sakura, with interest. Skimpily dressed women, probably the night's entertainment, gave Sakura evil and envious glares while winking, whistling, and smiling flirtatiously at Naruto. Some men made vulgar and suggestive comments to Sakura, and she tried her best to ignore them, clenching and unclenching her fist in barely suppressed rage and indignity. Naruto was also drawing a lot of attention from the pub's female population and trying his hardest to pretend as though horny hookers licking their lips and looking him up and down like a fresh piece of meat didn't bother him in the least, while inside he was squirming and extremely uncomfortable.

The heavy smells of booze, wine, hard liquor and sweat hung in the air and burned their nostrils. Smoke circled around them in a dim, thick and suffocating haze, and the only other light in the place besides the dimly set lamps hanging above the booths was the on and off flickering coming from the cigarettes. They made their way toward the poker and pool tables, where they hoped the gambling medic would be.

As they approached a group of men and what looked like one woman sitting around a table, finishing up a game, a barely dressed waitress brushed pass them with a serving tray holding tall 30 oz. mugs of booze, and purposely rubbed her breasts against Naruto's arm. He cringed and moved away, bumping right into a rugged man with a beer belly and blood-shot eyes who smelt of cigarettes, whiskey and weed, causing him to spill the fresh glass of brew he was holding all over his rather large lap.

First he looked down at the now wet spot on his lap, then up at Naruto with a livid, angry snarl that made him look like a pit-bull, ready to attack. Naruto allowing his stubbornness and pride to get the better of him simply snarled back, exposing his gleaming, pearly-white teeth, and pointy, sharp fangs for the world to see. Before either one could open their mouths to say something, Sakura grabbed the blonde's muscular arm and gently led him away before a fight started.

"I could've taken him, Sakura… …You didn't have to do that…" Naruto grumbled as they walked away toward the gambling area.

"Yeah, I know Naruto, but we don't want to attract any unnecessary attention, I mean, anymore then we're already getting," she whispered back softly, motioning around them to all the lusty stares they were getting from the bar bimbos and grizzly guys with a suggestive and subtle nod of her head.

Naruto seemed to calm down a bit, remembering the busty waitress and her oh so obvious advances. Just the mere thought of more women like her swarming around him like bees to flowers sent shivers of dread up his spine.

They could hear a loud commotion coming from one of the main poker tables set up in the middle of the gaming room off to one side of the bar. Curious, Naruto slowly approached the group, and Sakura followed behind quickly with wide, incredulous eyes, hearing a familiar, slightly slurred voice. "Come on, boys! I'm just gettin' warmed up… I wager…the rest of my chips on this last game!"

"Tsunade-shisou!" Sakura cried, half surprised that they'd actually found her.

The woman cackled wildly, obviously somewhat tipsy already, pushing a large pile of colorful plastic chips out in front of her with both hands.

"What! Are you seriously going to make that move?!"

"You're even crazier than I thought, lady!"

"Heh heh… Looks like somebody had a little too much to drink…"

"Ah, let the old broad do whatever she wants! It's easy money for us anyway,"

"Hmph! Tonight is the night I break my fifteen year losing streak!" Tsunade declared determinedly, jumping up and slamming her fist down on the table, causing the chips to shake and wobble a bit.

"Ooh… …not again…" Sakura groaned, slapping herself in the forehead. Naruto watched with mild amusement, not really sure whether he felt sorrier for Sakura for having to serve such a brash, irresponsible mistress, or the half-drunk Tsunade who was about to be swindled out of her fortunes…yet again. In the end, Naruto decided he pitied Sakura.

"Tsunade-sensei, what are you doing here?! It's late, and you've got work tomorrow, you know it'll be tough to go in with a hangover. And I thought you told Shizune you would try to stop drinking and gambling so much," Sakura said accusingly.

Tsunade, for her part, was completely taken by surprise, definitely not expecting to see her pretty pink-haired student at the local neighborhood bar of all places. As a result, she began to choke on the glass of sake she'd been in the process of downing when Sakura had spoken. "…Sakura!" she literally spat out. "W-What are you doing here?! This isn't a school pep rally, you know! You shouldn't be here!!"

She eyed her student fixedly, as did the men that'd been sitting at the table, preparing to take advantage of the alcohol-impaired woman when someone had dared come and interrupted them. Although, upon seeing Sakura standing there, hands on her hips, frowning in disapproval, their stern glares were changed to looks of intrigue and lust.

No one seemed to notice Naruto standing there behind Sakura, waiting for his chance to make his entrance. But when that moment didn't come, Naruto began to feel impatient and angry. He wasn't used to being overlooked. He was about to make an offhanded and offensive remark about Tsunade's bust size being the result of a chest implant surgery, when he remembered his mentor Jiraiya's words about how easy it was to set off Tsunade's short temper and how sensitive she was about the whole body thing, right before he remembered Sakura saying not to cause a riot and attract any more attention then they already had. So he decided he wouldn't say anything…just yet.

'_Yeah, from what Jiraiya said, the hag can get pretty nasty when you mention the fact that most fifty-some year old ladies don't usually have her kind of…physique,_' he thought, observing the woman's attractive physical features critically. '_And he __would __know I guess…The pervy sage__ is__ one of the sanin, too, after all. Which means they were comrades way back when at some point in time…Probably before they even officially divided the lands of the demon world into sections, when everybody still walked around like nomads,_'

He was brought back from his own personal world of oblivion when he heard Sakura engage her teacher in what was sure to become a heated argument. "We came here to find you. It's very important that you come with us immediately. I really need you to explain a few things,"

Tsunade quirked an eyebrow in puzzlement; it was only when Sakura said 'we' and 'us' did she realize there was an attractive blonde stranger with strange whisker-like markings on his face and beautiful ocean blue eyes that she did not recognize standing closely behind her apprentice, watching the scene warily.

"Can't this wait 'til later? You can come over to my house and I'll tell you every thing you want to know tomorrow," Tsunade tried bargaining, something she didn't seem to have a knack for.

"Sorry, sensei, but I need to ask you some questions now. It'd be easier to get sensible answers when you're not drunk or suffering from a hangover and extremely irritable," Sakura stated.

Tsunade sighed deeply; clearly this was not how she'd planned her supposed poker night. "Fine. If it'll get you out of my hair then let's go. The sooner we get this over with the better," she said, slowly getting up from the table, taking all her chips and stacking them in a coin basket before returning them to the front desk on the way out of the bar. Seeing that the woman had decided to comply with their requests, Naruto and Sakura began walking back toward the front of the bar. Tsunade went back to the poker table to collect her half-empty bottle of sake and then tried to join them at the door; but was called back by one of the men at the table.

"Hey," one called out.

"What is it? I'm kind of in a rush here, so whatever you want, you'd better make it quick," she growled impatiently.

"What about all the money you owe us? You didn't think you'd get away without paying, did you?" another reminded.

"Oh yeah, that…" Tsunade said flatly, reaching into her purse and pulling out a few dollars to place on the table.

They stared at the money and then back at her. "Well…" said one expectantly.

"Well, what?" Tsunade snapped back, obviously becoming agitated.

"Well, where's the rest of it?! You owe us way more than just a couple of bucks!" One brown-haired man that looked to be in his mid-forties exclaimed. He looked to be the leader of the group with a stubby little goatee, slick brown mustache and grizzly scarred face. It was obvious he'd been wasting his nights away at bars for a very long time.

"But that's all I've got on me!" she protested.

"Then you're out of luck, because we don't take rain checks or I.O.U.'s," said the leader, a man known in the bar by the nickname "Slick". She once again tried to walk away to join Naruto and Sakura by the door, but Slick reached out and grabbed her arm in a firm hold, halting her progress.

"Where do you think you're going, gorgeous?"

"Get your filthy hand off me you slimy scum!" Tsunade snarled, trying to yank her arm away from the offending man, but he refused to let go.

"Why are you suddenly in such a rush? If you don't have the funds on ya tonight, then I'm sure we can think of some other ways for you to pay us back…" he said, and his buddies giggled and grinned lewdly, knowing that their leader's words had been filled with sexual innuendo.

"Why you greasy little slime ball… I. said… LET. ME. GO!!" Tsunade finally managed to yank her arm away with seemingly hidden strength and brought her fist crashing down on the table, causing the poor defenseless surface to split in half. Of course, her sudden display of raw rage and brute force had caused Slick to let go immediately.

Tsunade simply glared at them one last time before marching over to Naruto and Sakura who were standing there with their mouths hanging open and wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Come on, let's blow this joint," said Tsunade with a smirk and a wink, making a little attempt at an innuendo of her own.

They began to head out again, when they were stopped yet again, this time by the very angry owner of the bar.

"Hey, you owe me a new poker table, you know!!" he called after them.

Tsunade turned around to face them, her honeysuckle brown eyes glimmering with mischief and amusement. "Yeah, yeah, just put it on my tab, alright?" she said nonchalantly, waving them him off with a dismissive flick of her delicate, manicured hand and sending them a sultry smile. "Tah-Tah!" She flipped her long luscious golden blonde hair behind her shoulders, exiting the alcoholic beverage serving establishment with the two older teenagers.

"So, granny, that was quite a show you put on back there, huh?" Naruto stated musingly, his lips quirked upward in a mirthful smile and his eyes twinkling in much the same manner.

Tsunade turned around to look at him; a murderous aura surrounded her and her eyes flashed dangerously. "What did you just say, you little punk?! Honestly, Sakura, you can do much better than this brat. I mean, handsome, yes, but did you have to find someone with such a bad attitude?"

Both Sakura and Naruto looked away, blushing deeply. A sudden gust of particularly cold when sent shivers down their spines as they'd been standing still and silent for a few moments just trying to collect themselves before continuing on to Tsunade's place. It was then that they realized that during the time they'd spent in the bar the evening had turned dark, becoming night, and a rather frigid one at that.

The sudden decrease in temperature caused Tsunade to draw her long, green jacket closer around her, and Sakura, who hadn't thought to wear anything warm because she hadn't expected for them to be out so long, to shiver and shake violently, the chilly air nipping mercilessly at her bare, unprotected arms and numbing her flesh with a bitter stinging sensation.

Naruto happened to notice this in one of his rare moments of alertness (although he seemed to have more of those than usual when Sakura was concerned), and quickly shook off the jacket he was wearing to offer it to Sakura by coming up behind her and gently placing it around her pale, slender shoulders. Feeling warmth suddenly seeming to radiate all around her and a soothing warming sensation spreading from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, she turned around and looked into Naruto's stunning blue eyes, so filled with compassion and life that it made her turn away quickly to cover the blush that was now covering her face in a full on flare of rich red rose.

Tsunade had also happened to witness the little scene as they walked casually along down the road to her cozy little flat a mere few blocks away. She smirked slyly, deciding to have a little fun and tease her apprentice a bit. "Hmph... Well, sorry for ever doubting your judgment, Sakura. It seems your little boyfriend isn't so bad after all… he certainly cares for you enough, and he's got a pretty nice build to boot. So I'd say, overall, he's a keeper."

Once again, Naruto and Sakura turned away from each other and temporarily became frozen and rooted to their spots, bright red blushes clearly evident on their faces, but not because of the icy air around them, but the mischievous slug-summoning sanin's words.

"Uh… w-w-well, a-actually Tsunade-sensei, Naruto and I, w-we're not an item, per say… In fact, I just met him two days ago and we've temporarily teamed up in order to find you. It turns out Naruto's been searching for you and asked for my assistance in uncovering your whereabouts. So I decided to help out since I think it's for a pretty decent cause," Sakura explained shyly, the wide-spread blush slowly easing down as her words poured out and she became more comfortable.

"Oh?" Tsunade said, now becoming mildly interested. "And just what cause would that be?"

By this time, they'd traveled the short distance from the pub's location to Tsunade's tiny two-bedroom apartment. Sakura looked down and nervously shuffled her feet, knowing that with Tsunade's bad temper, along with her sensitivity to the particular subject, she was liable to quickly lose control and fly off the handle.

"Um… well, you… I…" Sakura stalled, fumbling for the right words and hoping that whatever happened, her mistress wouldn't chew her head off. It was never good to invoke the full wrath of her mentor's unbridled fury, as doing so could almost be considered suicidal.

They stepped into the small flat as Tsunade switched on the lights and the dim glow illuminated the dully decorated room. Being so busy with work all the time, the blonde woman hardly ever had time to sit and enjoy the simple leisure's of home that most people took for granted, and so she saw no need to go out and spend a bunch of money she didn't have due to her gambling debts, decorating her house with lavish material that she'd never have time to appreciate, much less use.

"Come in and make yourselves at home. Sit down, while I make us some hot drinks and you explain to me just what the hell is going on here," Tsunade said, her voice taking on some sharpness toward the end as clearly she was still a bit annoyed at having her special 'night out on the town' cut unpleasantly short.

Naruto and Sakura sat down on opposite ends of the couch together, sinking into its squishy, yielding cushions. Both took the time to glance around the small, but comfortable living room, now noticing the haphazard home ornaments scattered around the space to compensate for the lack of time actually spent living there, that were supposed to add a sort of homey touch. Sakura sweatdropped; this was the first time she'd ever been inside her mentor's apartment, and now that she was sitting there surrounded by tacky, mismatched home accessories, she was almost embarrassed as she became fully aware of her lack of color coordination.

There was an antique brown-shaded lamp next to a lava lamp and a mysterious picture between the two light structures. But the uncoordinated chaos didn't end there. Brown, blue, green, and yellow stripes splashed the walls in a random, clearly unplanned design, and other pieces of incompatible furniture littered the room in a total state of disarray. Sakura gaped with her mouth hanging wide open like a fish gasping for air while floundering around on land. Naruto's right eye visibly twitched as he gazed upon all the clashing colors and began to feel dizzy as the whole room started to spin.

Even he knew better than to put a bouquet of fake, bright gold, deep red, and off orange flowers in a banana yellow vase for Kami's sake! What was wrong with this woman?! Was she not only lacking in common sense, but sophistication, too? Had years of living alone with minimal interaction to other _normal_ human beings and no one around to teach her the difference between the right and wrong way to cultivate a living space truly made her this senile when it came to colors?!

'_Well, from what I've heard and seen so far, she's got plenty of pride to go around, and even some to spare. But when it comes to making decisions… I can't help but question her soundness of judgment… and sanity for that matter... I mean, come on; even I know better than to mix warm and cool colors like this!! It's a mess! Doesn't she have any shame or humility whatsoever?!!_' Naruto thought in disgust.

'**My eyes…! They buurrrn!!'** Inner Sakura suddenly screamed out from the deepest realms of Sakura's mind. And for once, Sakura didn't bother to try and silence her annoying inner self, or scold her for making unnecessary remarks, because for once, she couldn't help but wholeheartedly agree.

'_Wow, so this is what decades of drinking, gambling, stress, hard work and loneliness can do to a person… I better make sure I never overdue it or get into too many bad habits I can't break or I might end up like poor Tsunade-shisou!_' Sakura inwardly shivered at the thought. '_I love my eyesight too much to allow myself to go colorblind!_'

Just then, Tsunade came back in carrying a dingy metal tray with three china cups of steaming hot liquid that looked and smelled of herbal tea. "I hope you take a few lumps of sugar and some honey in your tea, because that's what I put in there and that's all I have as far as that goes," she said, handing each of them a cup before taking her own drink and carelessly tossing the flat piece of tin to the tabletop with a small clang. No wonder both surfaces were so dented in the first place… She plopped herself down on a comfortable-looking crimson red recliner chair with dark jade stripes covering its exterior. "So," she said taking a sip from the warm brew, "What did you kiddos need to talk to me about?"

"Well," Sakura began quietly, staring down into her own mug, unable to see her reflection due to the dark, suspicious color of the substance. Naruto glared down into his coffee mug, also looking hesitant to take his first sip.

"Don't worry," Tsunade interrupted, I didn't spike it this time," she said with a small laugh and a wink.

She was referring to the previous year, when she'd dragged Sakura to a bar/club for the first time in celebration of her sixteenth birthday. They'd somehow been able to get in and slip past the bouncer at the doors, probably due to some sultry and tactful persuasions by Ino, who'd also decided to willingly tag along. In any case, the two had been determined to get Sakura to let go and cut loose before the end of the night, but she'd been rather reluctant to go out on the dance floor or have a drink at the bar, despite several tantalizing offers by some attractive young men who'd been interested in 'showing her how to have a good time' as they'd so carefully put it.

And so, the two devious blonds had come up with a downright sinister scheme to spike her otherwise ordinary cup of tea with some heavy, odorless, tasteless, and yet highly effective hardcore liquor that would take effect almost instantly after entering her system. And sure enough it did, as Sakura was suddenly accepting the offers of every guy that asked her to dance, riding low and shaking her 'moneymaker' as someone had crudely yelled out. They'd practically had to pull her out of the club before she was able to agree to one proposal to come up on stage and 'play' with the shiny metal stripper's poll stationed in the center of the platform for everyone to watch.

The next morning, after she had sobered up and somewhat recovered from the splitting headache she'd woken up with along with the fresh flood of memories from the night before, Sakura had learned a very important lesson that she was sure would remain with her for the duration of her days on earth: She and heavy alcohol definitely didn't mix, and she'd been careful to avoid it and any immoral temptations it might bring ever since then. This, along with the overwhelming desire to do away with both Ino and her busty, blonde mentor was further burned into her brain after discovering that, to her utter shock and horror, Ino had somehow managed to catch the whole thing on tape and had proceeded with forwarding it to all of their closest friends.

And even though she'd made her promise to remove the video from the internet and burn any copies she might have laying around, watching as she did so to make sure all the evidence of her horrible experience was properly disposed of, she was sure that Ino had hidden an extra copy of the footage somewhere, but was unable to find out the exact location, since Ino was very effective in hiding away anything valuable that she didn't want someone else to see or find, being that she was the daughter of the country prison's Head of Interrogation's Second In Command, and knew the ins and outs of proper concealment and secrecy. However, what she knew only ever seemed to apply when her own secrets were at stake and her personal business was concerned.

"I wanna know where you got your designer's license!" Naruto suddenly yelled out. "'Cause these patterns suck! I mean, it looks like the colors are duking it out in a fight to the finish for total dominance over the jumbled up mess of a jungle that is your living room!"

Tsunade began to see red, and was thankful that she'd finished off her cup of tea before Naruto had spoken, because she now found the china glass pieces crushed into the palm of her hand and scattered around in sharp, jagged pieces on her lap and the floor. How dare she allow a brat like this into her home, and he pay her back by insulting her choices in 'decorative variation', as she liked to call it? She really would have to have a talk with that apprentice of hers about who she chose to associate with.

She surprisingly had no problems with her loud, outgoing best friend, the Yamanaka girl named Ino, as she somehow reminded her of herself in her younger years, and she felt that hanging around someone so fun-filled and confident like her would certainly do wonders for Sakura's self-esteem issues and help her be more open. On the other hand, her newest loudmouthed acquaintance was quickly grating though her already razor-thin nerves and also reminded her of someone else once held dear to her in her youthful days. Too bad that they were unwelcome memories that she'd forbidden herself to let resurface, and now this blonde's presence was involuntarily bringing them up.

Although deep down she couldn't deny his words as a complete lie, even she had to acknowledge (somewhere deep within the intensely intricate tunnels of her mixed-up mind) that the whole house's interior color scheme was a bit of a train wreck. But that still didn't mean he had to loudly point out her flaws in design and humiliate her in her own home! It was simply disgraceful, and she wouldn't stand for it!

"Why you little-"

"Actually," Sakura interrupted, trying to prevent an all-out Battle Royal from breaking loose between the two blondes by doing so, "we wanted to talk to you about a crisis that's currently happening where Naruto's from. You see, we feel that your knowledge on these specific issues might be able to shed some light about what to do in the matter,"

"Go on," Tsunade urged, as Sakura suddenly found herself playing the role of the diplomat.

Sakura took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, not sure how to continue on from there. Luckily (or maybe not so much), Naruto decided to take over for her and spoke without heed or uncertainty.

"What Sakura means is, I've been sent here to Earth by the DRC, a council I'm sure you're very familiar with, to retrieve you, the almighty healer with the power to crush mountains and restore life in itself, because your former teammate, that snake bastard Orochimaru is running a muck and stirring up trouble in the Demon World and well, they need your help to stop him," Naruto watched as Tsunade looked on, wide-eyed and flabbergasted. This was the first time he'd seen her so shaken up since they'd met, and he found that, he rather enjoyed being the bringer of the news that had caused such a reaction.

'_Looks like something finally got through that thick skull of hers,_' he thought smugly.

"And… although it's not exactly in my job description," he continued, pausing for dramatic effect. "I feel I should tell you this, even if you probably already know it… …but, your color coordinating really, really sucks," he stated flatly, looking at the angry, red-faced woman with a fox-like, shit-eating grin and innocent bright blue eyes.

* * *

**AUTHORESS' RAMBLINGS:**

**It's done! Well, I told you it'd be funny and interesting, at least I thought so anyway. And not that it matters much, but I added the little part about Sakura's sixteenth birthday bash on a whim, and then decided to keep it because it somehow made the chapter more humorous, at least to me (although it added unneccessary substance to the story, but it sort explained why sakura didn't wanna drink from the cup at first, just a bit more detailed than neccessary, perhaps) **

**Oh, and I was originally going to put Tsunade's retrieval and her explanation of Sakura's hidden origins in this chapter, but then decided not to rush things and so I made a cliff-hanger to torture you with instead. (^ ^) Yes, aren't I delightfully evil? I think so! **

**Well, I'm mostly nice but I can be mean somtimes. My Naruto-loving friends and associates say I act like a female Naruto most of the times, which is sorta funny since my real name does begin with an 'N' and sorta *as in not completely* rhymes with his (it's more of a ring, really) but anyway, when I get mad apparently, I act more like Inner Sakura and even punctuate my sentences with a heartfelt 'Cha!!' (I've been doing that since I was like eight, way before I ever discovered Naruto. Don't really know what started it but it seems it's there to stay, although I've mostly grown out of it) **

**Anyway, sorry for typing you to death! Please stay tuned for the next exciting chapter in The Fox of Fate, when things will really start to heat up between Naruto and Sakura and in the overall story as several more characters enter the scene. Including more help from the Spirit World and an old friend from Sakura's childhood and past... I'll give you a hint, these two people also join forces to search for Sakura and Naruto and will eventually meet up with them later on down the road.**

**Until then, toodles!!**


	5. Weary Wanderer, Wounded Wolf

**VERY IMPORTANT AUTHORESS' NOTE (I know you may find it taxing, but be sure to read all the way through, you'll probably be glad you did):**

**This story has been on a steady, uphill climb ever since I first posted it on the site some months ago. I'm very grateful for all your positive feedback and support; it's what keeps me going! So I'd like to give a special shout out to:**

**90MLLu: Thank you for all your adamant and plentiful praise, it's really inspiring! And your compliments always leaving me blushing...honestly! It means a lot! I hope you continue to read and support my fics, as I continue to strive to present you with high-quality fanfic reading material. **

**chelsea-chee: I'm happy that you're enjoying this fic as well and hope you continue to remain an avant reader and reviewer. You're help and advice is very much appreciated. And don't worry, I'm still considering writing that lemon you requested, though I may need some time and it might not be that good since I've never done one before. But hey, there's still plenty of time left in the story for Sakura and Naruto's relationship to develop, and it might be fun to try something new.**

**shyguy1818: Glad that my fic has left you speechless, reviewers like you are also awesome. LOL (^_^)**

**But once again, I'm very grateful to all of you out there who took the time to read and **_**review**_** my fic. These are just the people who left reviews for chapter four. I'm sure a whole lot more people read the fic; in fact, I know they did because of the poll-thingy on my account that shows the number of people who have visited your homepage or read your fic within a given amount of time, including the percentage of registered members, but they either didn't have an account on the site, which is understandable I guess, since I have blocked off all anonymous users from reviewing my stories, or they were just too lazy to login. **

**It's for security and confidentiality, reasons, you understand? Well, actually, I believe reviewing and submitting your opinion to fanfics should be an exclusive right reserved only for those who are committed enough to officially register on the site.**

**No offense to any anonymous persons who might be reading this (or other members who allow them to leave messages for your stories), but you really should get yourself a username so you can have all the privileges we regular members do; it's a lot of fun once you get the hang of it, and you're missing out on a lot by not registering! ROFL! I just realized… I sound like I'm campaigning to get people to register for voting or something… lol**

**Come on guys, I **_**know**_** it's hard; I even admit, I have to push myself to do it sometimes, especially when I find a story I'm really getting in to and want to favorite it for easy access, post a well-deserved review for a really good fic, or subscribe to an author who has a particular writing style I like; but show some support, like I try to do for those of you out there who write decent fics I'm interested in.**

**Anyway, this message was only addressed to those of you who fit the criteria of the stated parties listed above. You **_**know**_** who you are. *glares accusingly***

**For those of you others, thanks, you're my inspiration for writing these fanfics; I can't seem to stress that enough. **

**And just so you know, this chapter will mostly be focused on other characters like the helpers I promised, and include fuffy moments featuring those pairs. So there probably won't be much of NaruxSaku, sadly *sniffles*… well, at least not in this chapter, but I'll probably have the conclusion of their climatic conversation (whoa, try saying that three times fast) and the action-adventure/suspenseful atmosphere I've tried to create and maintain throughout this story will pick up again from there.**

**Now that I'm finally done explaining…I think I'll take a little rest and finish typing this up and post it sometime next month… lol just kidding, I know I wouldn't be alive that long because you all would probably kill me before then… (^_^') but then you'd never know what happened next…kukuku…I guess you'll just be forced to put up with me, at least until this story's finished, by then I should've found a suitable hiding spot with a screened in patio, heated, climate-controlled pull and decent indoor plumbing to hide in case you don't like the ending and decide to take out your post-reading frustrations. Lol**

* * *

Chapter Five:

_Weary Wanderer, Wounded Wolf_

* * *

**A** few hundred miles away from the fox demon, slug sanin, and her apprentice's current location, a dark-haired young woman was checking into a small but quaint hotel for the night. She grunted in exhaustion as she strained to carry her own luggage into the lobby of the small roadside inn. Though she didn't have much, just a small duffle bag and two medium-sized, carefully packed suitcases, she was rather fragile and petite, and not used to doing much physical labor as she'd spent the last eleven years or so away studying at one of the finest academic boarding schools money could offer the opportunity to attend.

Her father, a stern and daunting man named Hiashi Hyuga, president of a multibillion dollar business industry, had insisted that she, the only heiress to the cooperate throne, should be properly trained in the ways of the business world and how to conduct herself in it. And so she found herself being packed up and shipped away to the far off land of Otogakure, a small, but booming and industrial city led by a mysterious and cunning man who she'd never seen before, and was only to be called Mr. Yukushi in public.

For over eight years she'd trained under the keen and careful supervision of Kurenai Yuuhi, a private instructor personally hired by her father to train and guide her along as she learned how to become strong and successful, ultimately preparing for the day when her father's enterprise would be passed down to her and she'd be expected to take full control of the reigns, steering the company to even higher heights than before.

But Hinata, for this was her birth given name, and she'd seldom been referred to as otherwise, was docile, gentle, and shy by nature, and had known from the start that the ruthless ways and often times, rough dealings of the business world were not for her. But she'd been too intimidated by her father to say anything to upset him or go against his wishes. And so she'd studied her hardest all those years away, trying her best to learn as much as possible, hoping to excel and make her family, especially her strict and unyielding father proud.

All the while she yearned terribly for her beautiful countryside estate (but in when she did stay in Konoha, her family hardly ever visited it. They stayed in a smaller, but still spacious and extremely expensive penthouse in the heart of the city. The estate was more like a relaxation spot, a place to find piece and getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city every once in a while), with its peaceful summertime breezes and golden wheat fields and the friends and family and life she'd left behind and missed terribly with a fierce heartache and homesickness that had never completely dulled, but had only seemed to have gotten more overwhelming and relentless with time.

And so when her studies were finally complete, Hinata had bid her longtime mentor a fond farewell, and quickly moved back to the place she'd known so well before, and longed for so badly.

Even as she'd driven through the region's remote areas in her comfortable little car, glancing at the scenery and silently thanking her father for allowing her to take the scenic route home and drive herself there, she'd begin to feel more and more welcomed and at home with each passing mile that brought her nearer to her final destination. But as night had quickly come upon her, she'd decided it was best to seek shelter and rest at a nearby pit stop instead of traveling along through the dark on the narrow dusty dirt roads that connected onto Konoha's main highways.

She finally managed to drag herself and her things into the dimly lit lobby and toward the front desk. She smiled kindly at the receptionist, requesting a room for one and paying her fee, before accepting the key she was handed and boarding the elevator to the third floor. She found her room and slipped the plastic card she'd been given into the automated lock and tiredly unpacked her things once she got in. She sluggishly washed her face, changed into her nightclothes, and slid into bed, falling asleep a few minutes later.

* * *

In the woods behind the hotel where the heiress was sleeping soundly, a late night chase was well underway, as a lean and limber wolf found himself being pursued by a pack of ferocious and annoyingly tenacious animals, all of which were hot on his trail, determined to catch their prey.

The wolf silently cursed himself for turning and running away like some kind of coward with his tail tucked between his legs, but he knew that he was no match for all nine of them, highly skilled and adapt at tag team maneuvers as they were, and his best option was to run as far away as possible and try to lose them if he could. He zigzagged through the trees, dodging fallen logs and ducking under low-hanging branches in an attempt to escape, but to no avail. He even tried circling around the same bushes a few times and backtracking in an attempt to confuse them and throw them off his, but it seemed pointless in the end, as wherever he went, they swiftly and easily followed.

It was beginning to frustrate him, along with the fact that he'd been running all day long without rest in search of his missing comrade, even before he'd run into the goon squad, not to mention he'd been doing so on 'E' all the while, and although he tried his hardest to ignore it, it was nearly impossible to forget his stomach as it whined and contracted sharply every few seconds in heavy spasms of hungry protest.

'_Feed me!_' it wailed, but again and again he was forced to deny its cries as he pushed onward against his tired body's wishes to simply drop down to the ground beneath him.

'_I can't stop, I have to keep going…_' he thought between pants. _'…until…I ditch these idiots and find… …that loser of a… …dobe,_'

His paw pads were raw and numb from pain and he was sure they had probably started to split open, as he could feel the twigs and pebbles pressing into the sensitive flesh underneath the protective covering as his feet pounded into the uneven earth harshly, moving so fast, dirt and leaves were turned up as he blazed a fresh path. But still he pressed on.

'_It's no use, little pup!_' he heard one howl from behind him. The cry was eerie and drawn out in a low, gruff whine, like someone grumbling in the back of his throat. It sounded like Dosu, the tough-talking, antagonistic badger demon.

'_We're coming for you!_' snarled another, a feisty jaguar named Kin.

'_You won't make it very far!_' That was definitely the sadistic Sakon.

'_We're_ _running on energy revival pills, and you know your stamina is nearly depleted. You won't be able to hold out for much longer!_' His equally evil, but much more impatient twin brother, Ukon, added mockingly. Both were large, predatory bird demons of some sort, although they seemed to have been somehow genetically altered through scientific experimentation.

'_Face it, you'd need a miracle to save you now, you little fool!_' This was the red-furred pixie of a tigress with the brazenly abrasive attitude, Tayuya.

He made a sharp turn to his right, circling a clump of brier bushes several times before coming to an abrupt halt.

He swore profusely; it was a dead end.

He turned around to face his opponents, the fur along his back stood rigid and his ears flattened against his skull. He backed up as far as he could, his rear bumping the rock wall behind him, reminding him there was truly no escape. He knew now that his situation had changed, so had his options.

He could no longer run until he found safety, although he'd been getting quite tired of _that_ game, anyway, he had to stay and fight, perhaps to the finish. But at least then, no one could say he rolled over with his stomach up in submission. That was the path of a coward, not a strong, noble, headstrong Anbu like him. And so he bravely and boldly faced his opponents, his dark eyes smoldering with anger, defiance, and irritation.

"So the great Sasuke Uchiha, the legendary survivor of the Uchiha clan massacre is no more than a scared little brat who'd rather run away like a cowardly pup then turn and fight like a real warrior…" Sakon snuffed, cocking his head to one side in a challenging way.

"Funny, I would've expected more of a challenge from the one they say was personally trained by the notorious copycat demon, Sharingan Kakashi." his twin added, looking away and sticking up his nose into a wrinkled scowl of obvious distaste, picking up on the taunt.

"Heh…we'll see who's the real warrior when this is all said and done. You'll wish you never picked a fight with me. I may be outnumbered, and whether or not I have a chance of actually beating all of you have yet to be seen. But don't think I'll go down without a long, hard, bloody fight…And I promise you one thing…the majority of the blood split in this battle…definitely won't be mine," Sasuke snarled confidently, though he was already a bit unsteady from fatigue.

He stared them all down with deep onyx eyes, the same color of a still and starless night, reinforcing his previous statement. And then without warning, they all sprang for each other at the same time, clashing in a furious fight of fur, fangs, claws, and skin. Sasuke lunged for the loud-mouth Tayuya first, for she was the closest within grabbing range, and instinctively clamped onto the redhead's throat. She hissed and yowled in pain, flailing her sharp-clawed paws about in a desperate attempt to try and shake him off. Suddenly, Sasuke was forced to release his tight hold as he drew in a sharp breath himself, slightly slackening his grip as the others drew their sharp claws, mercilessly raking them over his unguarded back.

The sounds of their harsh battle filled the air, and back in the hotel room, the sleeping young woman woke with a start, eyes widened as if frozen that way, and panting slightly. She slowly crawled out of bed, pulling on her robe and stepping out onto the balcony, her bare feet touching cold concrete slab and causing her to shiver and draw the cloak around her for protection from the frigid night air.

Blinking and rubbing her eyes several times, she looked up at the pale silver moon, shining brightly overhead in the otherwise pitch black of the night. Before she could enjoy the silent midnight surrealism of the moment, loud, animalistic snarls and whines, echoed throughout the forest, and reached the sensitive ears of the tired, but restless young woman standing on the balcony. She instantly recognized them as the same noises she'd heard earlier, the heart-jerking cries of an animal somewhere in pain, the ones that had beckoned her from her light, much needed slumber and now continued to echo through her mind, plaguing her to the point of clutching her head in agony.

Hinata, being the kind and gentle soul she was hated to hear such a noise, so filled with misery and pain, and she ached to help whatever poor creature had gotten itself into any sort of trouble. But was it worth risking? It would be easy enough to collect up her medical supplies from the first aid kit she never traveled anywhere without, clamber down the little side ladder all the hotel's balconies had been equipped with as an extra precaution and means of escape if necessary, and apply the few years of medical training she'd had on the side while away from home during her studies.

Even though she was more apt at healing humans, that didn't mean she didn't know about animals, too, due to her own personal interest in them, and there was nothing permitting her from lending a helping hand wherever it was needed. In fact, she felt it was her solitary duty as a humble humanitarian and an aspiring doctor secretly practicing in the field of medicine on the side. She had never told anyone else aside from her best friends about her secret dream to desert her position in the family business and work at a hospital of some sort, helping to heal patients' inner and outer ailments.

Her mother had always told her that a gentle touch and a kind word could make all the difference for someone in peril, especially in their darkest hour. Hinata truly believed this, and had held the words close to her heart, even in the hour of her beloved mother's death. Now she tried to carry on the message and shape her life to the mold she thought her mother would have most wanted her to fit, as a way of honoring her memory.

But it was hard, struggling to please her overly demanding father, and be the son he'd always wanted but never had, while living up to her late mother's final expectations, especially since they had drastically different views on the strengths and weaknesses of the human psyche and how a successful company should be run.

The shrill call sounded again, and this time, it was so jarring that Hinata found herself running back in to her rented room and gathering her medical things before she even realized what she was doing. Even after she did, it didn't deter her from her goal of finding and saving the injured animal in any way she could, if it would allow her. For a moment, a flutter of pride filled her chest, and she marveled at how time away from home really had seemed to help her build up a bit of self-confidence. Years ago, as a timid young adolescent, a clumsy teenage girl, she would have heard the frightening sounds, and hid underneath the covers like she used to during thunderstorms as a child, after her mother passed away and there was no one around to comfort her.

But that was the old Hinata, running away and hiding like a coward. The new, slightly stronger-willed Hinata stuck to a decision once she made it, didn't go back on a promise, and tried not to back down, if she could help it. That didn't mean she wasn't afraid; no, she was absolutely terrified. Still, she knew she had to learn to conquer her fears…for the animal's sake.

After she'd put on her shoes, she slung the satchel containing her supplies over her shoulder and opened up the little latch to the piece of railing that was placed in front of the metal ladder so someone wouldn't accidentally slip off the balcony. She closed her eyes and began to climb down slowly, praying to any higher being with the power to help her and the will to listen, that she'd be safe as she wandered through the woods in search of the beast that'd been making such a racket.

As her feet finally touched the soft, mulched forest floor, squashy and damp from the heavy rains that had watered the earth with its wetness just the night before, she looked out into the wide, leafy expanse, and took a tentative step forward, determined to fulfill her own self-made promise, but not sure what she'd find there…

* * *

Sasuke cursed himself profusely for underestimating his assailants, as he was thrown through the air, and his back slammed into the rugged, stone wall behind him.

He slowly stood up with a deep, jagged in take of breath, on weak, wobbly legs, squinting out of one eye and trying to look as fierce as possible in his currently pitiful state. He should have known…he'd been told to be careful and of how crafty and strong the enemy was, but he'd simply shrugged it off dismissively, letting his pride and confidence get the better of him and rule over his common sense and judgment. These were some of the best combatants the enemy's ranks had to offer, Orochimaru's elite squad, his finest fighters. They were not to be taken lightly, especially when they were in a large group and joined forces, a lesson Sasuke had learned the hard way.

In the end, his ego had been bruised just as much as his physical body had been so badly battered.

He never had any hopes of winning to begin with, though he wouldn't admit it out loud, in front of them, he had known this from the start. And now his exhausted, diluted body was telling him it was past time to call it quits, otherwise he might not pull through to see another day.

Such was the price to pay just for being born a member of such a highly-esteemed, revered clan as his, and choosing to take on such a perilous line of work, such as being a shinobi. The modernized world of human beings, mere mortals, may no longer have use for such a profession, and so his kind and their kin were no longer needed, but in the demon world, where samurais, rogue beasts, and true demons of all shapes and sizes were free to roam, a ninja was always of need, because there was always some danger, and good protection seemed to be in short supply. Most civilians had taken to training themselves in the arts of self-defense known as ninjutsu, taijutsu and in his family's case, doujustu, and so, the field of the ancient medieval battalions continued to flourish.

Sasuke looked upon his weary, but still stable foes, and smirked to himself, knowing that they wouldn't be getting away completely unscathed. A strong sense of pride rushed through him as he looked upon the damage he had caused. Nicked ears, deep cuts and gashes, bloody bite marks, missing clumps of hair, and if he was lucky, maybe even some internal bleeding and broken bones.

Not that he was any better with his own long and extensive list of injuries: several broken ribs, one partially exposed, and another dangerously close to puncturing his lungs, cuts and scrapes, especially on his back where they had brutally assaulted him after he attacked Tayuya, bite marks where that wretched, overgrown fur-ball, Kin, had managed to sink her teeth in before he was able to completely shake her off. And those didn't even top the list; they didn't even come close. They were all done in, but because of the forbidden curse marks Orochimaru's team all carried, they were better able to hide their true conditions than he was. Still, even with the help of the devil's tainted powers, they still needed time to lick their wounds and recuperate, and so would not be able to carry out their mission, at least not tonight.

Sasuke was safe…for now.

"Hmm…" Dosu grunted, spitting a mouthful of blood on the ground. "It seems you've proven your worth, Uchiha Sasuke. But you're still not out of the woods yet, and you haven't seen the last of us. We'll be back again as soon as we finish healing up. So count your lucky stars and breath easy while you still can."

And with that, they left Sasuke alone, trembling from fatigue and shaken with rage and anguish at having been unable to stop them and only managing to escape on the enemy's sudden whim. He knew he wouldn't be so lucky the next time, however.

As soon as he was sure they were gone, he released a sharp intake of breath and collapsed in a bloody heap to the thick, leaf-carpeted forest floor, succumbing to the darkness soon after.

* * *

Hinata ran to the spot where the noises had been coming from, deep in the heart of the woods. She'd begun to grow worried, though, as they sounds had gradually died down, and then stopped abruptly a few minutes ago. Hoping she wasn't too late, she pushed herself forward, until she came to a clearing, with a crumpled, four-legged figure lying still on its side in a large pool of blood.

She gasped and stumbled toward the badly wounded beast. Its furry back was facing toward her, and the blood that oozed out of the terrible, long cuts could be seen even through the darkness of obsidian fur that it was covered in. Cautiously, she kneeled down to closer inspect the creature's injuries, and carefully turned its heavy head to the side with some difficulty.

Her face blanched and she let out another involuntary gasp of surprise when she looked into its rather dog-life face and saw the fangs that glinted from underneath the unconscious animal's slightly sneering lips, and the big, pointed ears that lay flat against its slender head.

It was a wolf! And the largest one she had ever seen at that!

His pelt was a beautiful shade of dark ebony, with just a bit of navy blue streaked in to compliment the depth of the first color, but Hinata couldn't help but think it'd be much prettier if he was clean and his wounds were healed up. Shakily, she moved her hand to brush the unusually spiky fur on his head. It sort of stuck out in the back, like a duck's feathery tail, and almost covered his eyes like bangs, though the rest of his coat was sleek, flat and smooth.

This action caused the large animal's ears to twitch, and a tiny flash of silver to be seen by the Hyuga's pale lavender eyes, as the moon's beams shone down and hit them, making the silver jewelry glimmer brightly and briefly. The wolf had two sets of silver studs and a small pair of fancy loop earrings dangling from its ears.

Jewelry…? This wolf was wearing _jewelry_?

Did this mean that the massive animal perhaps belonged to someone? Had it escaped its owners and stumbled into the woods, then gotten attacked by some other, more vicious wild animals? That would explain things. Domestic animals generally didn't do too well when faced with their fiercer, wilder counterparts.

But then…who would keep a wolf in these parts? It was nothing but countryside and vast, urban/suburban terrain for miles around. There was no room for a creature of this specimen, and definitely not of such a mighty size either. …Unless, he belonged to a zoo somewhere nearby… Except, didn't they generally put identity tags in their animals' ears, not industrial studs and flashy loop earrings? These looked like they had been placed in for enjoyment, not unlike the ones one of her fashion forward friends had once worn.

So the mystery of where this giant canine had come from still continued…

Hinata knew she didn't have much time to properly ponder over it, though, as the large animal was still severely wounded and needed medical attention as soon as possible, or else he might develop severe infections. But how was a tiny woman like her with no real psychical strength supposed to haul such a humongous creature through the woods, back to the hotel, up the balcony's ladder and into her small, rented room? Not to mention how to keep anyone from discovering him afterwards...

Nevertheless, she would have to try her best. She couldn't rightly abandon this poor, pitiful animal after she'd found him and vowed to do everything in her power to help it when she did. Hinata crouched down on her knees, still in her pajamas, night robe and comfortable, daytime sneakers, then attempted to lift up the animal's heavy paws over her shoulders as she hoisted it onto her back.

The canine's head fell limply to one side, its soft, dark fur brushing against the sensitive skin of Hinata's neck and collar bone, and causing her to giggle quietly. After she somehow managed to pull the beast as far up as she could. She took out a long piece of thick heavy-duty bandaging cloth, and wrapped the animal's massive paws together, so that they would stay firmly around her throat as she trekked through the woods and back to the hotel.

Hinata took a deep breath, bracing herself, and tried to stand up, staggering for a minute before catching her balance and standing erect with her feet firmly planted on the ground. The wolf's body was so great in mass and width, however, that his stomach was pressed against Hinata's lower back, and everything from his hips down to his feet and tail dangled on the ground as she dragged him along. Hinata pushed on through the woods determinedly, a steady trickle of sweat falling from her brow and her cheeks red from the arduous effort. Every now and then, she'd stop to rest and catch her breath, before moving on again.

It was sunrise when she finally dragged the canine into her apartment through the sliding glass doors, and every muscle was aching in overtiredness.

Even so, she still couldn't rest, for her work was not yet done. She got a small plastic wash bin and filled it up with warm water and liquid bath soap, then took the slippery, bubbly solution and a clean cloth and washed the wolf's wounds clean, frowning in sympathy when he'd growl, hiss or whimper in his sleep, nonetheless, he was still too weary to wake up. After he'd been cleaned, she applied herbal healing ointment to the nastier wounds and bandaged him up from upper torso to lower back, leaving little space left uncovered in between.

Afterward, she went into the bathroom to change out of her dirty garments that'd be soiled with some of the wolf's own blood while she cleaned him, then, put on a fresh pair of pajamas. This time, a thin, silky, thigh-length, peach petal nightgown with a two inch slit running up either side that someone had once given her for her birthday, but she'd never worn until now. It wasn't her style, too scandalous and revealing, even too wear to bed.

The only reason she'd brought it along on her journey was for comfort as a sort of momentum of the ones who had given it to her. Since leaving Otogakure however, she'd been in such a rush to get home, she hadn't even stopped at a Laundromat to do her laundry and aside from the now soiled piece of nightwear; this was all she had left.

She climbed into bed and mumbled a soft 'goodnight' to the recovering animal resting on a pile of blankets in the corner, although it was now approaching the early hours of morning, before laying her head on the fluffy, plump feather pillows and promptly falling asleep, not at all expecting the kind of surprise that would be there to greet her in the morning...

* * *

**ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT AUTHORESS' NOTES (this one's even more important than the one at the beginning of this chapter): **

**I struggled to figure out how to do it… that is, divide the original characters between the Au setting that Sakura was raised in, and the more surreal and magical world of the demons, which Naruto is originally from, and finally, I think I came up with a logical solution. **

**This is a very crucial and deciding element of the story, because essentially, characters from the AU universe would be normal, non-magical humans with no special powers, fighting skills, or abilities. Those from the demon world, like Naruto, would be spared the loss of their powers that make them so unique and stand out in the original Naruto storyline. **

**I really tried to be fair and use the characters with the powers that would be most beneficial and contributing to the development of the story's plot and not just my own personal favorites, but of course, I know there'll still be some sticklers out there who won't be fully satisfied because their favorites have been rendered powerless thanks to my altercations and readjustments. I understand, though; don't forget: I am a fan too, after all.**

**Although, there will be a few exceptions, like with Tsunade and some others, where characters living in the human world may not necessarily be as… incapable as they seem, and in some cases, may even have no knowledge of the powers lying dormant within them. Okay, I just gave away a **_**MAJOR**_** hint to the next chapter; now let's see who's smart enough to pick up on it…Any takers? It's okay if you don't get it, though, that should come all in good time. **

**That said, I can almost guarantee that at least on of everyone's favorites will appear at some point in time, demons or not, and I'll try to preserve as much of their original personas as possible, but that shouldn't be too hard since this story doesn't call for much altercation in that area. I think you'll find if you ever bother to check, that most of my stories don't, and when they do, it's never without a legitimate reason.**

**So anyway, sorry in advance if any of your favorites don't make the cut, and end up playing a role you don't think they're best suited for. Stay tuned 'til next time! And please ****don't forget**** to LEAVE A REVIEW, okay!**

**P.S. The next chapter is already well underway, and promises to include much more NaruxSaku fluffy moments, hilarity, and action, so it should be up shortly, unless I get sidetracked again...**


	6. The Plot Thickens

**In this story, because I couldn't think of any other way to do it, I made Hinata and Hanabi half-sisters, meaning same dad different mothers. Hinata's still first-born though. The rest will be explained as the sotry progresses, but I think that's all you need to know for now. Now read on and enjoy! Oh, and don't forget to review, or I'll be forced to put you on my "all-time greatest enemies for life" list, if you don't. (^^)**

**No, I was being serious. (-_-) ****I actually do have one. It's recorded right up in the good ol' mental databank.**

* * *

Chapter Six:

_The Plot Thickens…_

* * *

**T**he atmosphere had quickly turned serious again as the tension built and the room was silent, all three just sitting there, each lost in their own thoughts. One could almost see the thought processes happening in the mind of the older woman as she sat there with a blank, tight-lipped expression and her eyes glazed over with a vacant look that said she was somewhere far off, lost in the recollections of another time, perhaps even another universe entirely…

Finally, she spoke, but still staring off into space as if in some kind of unbreakable trance. "So…Orochimaru's at it again, huh? Humph, that doesn't really surprise me. He was never the same after he got caught doing some kind of illegal experiment's in his secret underground base." she murmured quietly.

"So then…you _do_ know about this, don't you?" Sakura's voice was barely a whisper, and she'd surprised herself by daring to speak so soon.

Tsunade closed her eyes tightly, as if trying to shut off the world, the sounds, the pain, the memories, but of course, it was no use. She knew all to well that everything would still be there, the way it was now, when she opened her eyes.

She nodded numbly. "Yes…I am from that world. Although I left that place and its memories behind quite some time ago, and I have absolutely **no** desire to return to it," she stated sharply.

She turned her head as she addressed the other blond sitting across from her on the couch. "Whatever it is you need concerning me and my assistance, I'm sorry, but that part of my life ended already, and I can't really help you now." Then, without another word and her head bowed, she stood up from the armchair and started to leave. She was almost completely out of the room and standing in the arch of the hallway that led back to her bedrooms and the two small guestrooms, when the angry shout of the enraged younger blonde reached her ears.

"So that's it then?! After all the trouble we went through to hunt you down, you're just going to turn and walk away, to abandon your village and its people in their hour of need?! Jiraiya told me it might be tough to get you to listen, but if that's really the way you're going to be about it; it makes me wonder if you ever even had any love in your heart for your old home in the first place!! Did you ever once care about anyone else besides yourself?!" Naruto yelled accusingly, also standing up.

The room was filled with a tension so thick it was almost tangible. The older woman stood with her back still facing the two teenagers, an aura of sorrow, misery and darkness radiating around her.

"Humph, just shut up… you damn brat…" she hissed. "What the hell do you know about me… or my pains?!" her voice raised as the emotions she'd so carefully been restraining inside for years finally began to bubble up again, threatening to consume and overwhelm her, making her lose all inhibitions and control.

"I know you're a selfish, overconfident, coward who runs away whenever there's a problem you can't handle instead of facing up to it like a real shinobi does. You don't give a damn about anyone else but yourself, do you?!!" Naruto fired.

"I. said. **SHUT UP**!! You don't know what the hell you're talking about, so stop meddling in affairs that don't even concern you!!" Tsunade turned around to face them, and Sakura gasped at her livid expression. She'd never seen her mistress so enraged…

She wanted to break up the quarrel, but felt it had already escalated far beyond her control. Knowing her mistress's notoriously bad temper as well as she did, along with the now new information that she had demon's blood running through her veins as well, made her hesitant to jump in the middle of their fight to stop the argument. Naruto also looked beyond the point of reasoning, and she wasn't sure anything she said or did could make him back down from what he'd said before, he just seemed like that type.

Tsunade's brow was knitted together tightly in a dark, heavy scowl, and her eyes reflected just how much Naruto's brazenly spoken words had effected her, as they welled with hot, fuming, painful tears and simmered with a deeply felt anguish.

"During the last war, I lost everything that was important to me…my values, my pride as a Leaf village kunoichi, my will to fight, to heal, to live…and most of all, my loved ones…I lost my little brother Nawaki and my boyfriend Dan because I couldn't stop them from going to battle, and I was too weak to fight along side them on the front lines…if…if I could've only been there with them in their final moments, or maybe taken their places, it might've made a difference. They might still be alive."

By now, her fury had all but subsided, for the moment, and had been replaced by a strong and intensely felt sorrow, as she buried her face in her head in her hands and cried for the first time in many years. Sakura, amazed at the sight before her, rose to her feet with wide, awe-filled eyes and rushed over to comfort the one who had acted as a surrogate mother to her for so long. The pinkette hugged the older woman and whispered words of comfort while rubbing her back soothingly, as if the roles were reversed, she, the mother and Tsunade, her child.

Naruto stood back, watching, and almost feeling sorry for the way he had treated the other blonde. But he knew she had to hear him out, some way or another, and wallowing in the pains of the past wouldn't help fix the future. Sakura slowly guided her mentor back to the chair she'd been sitting in before and offered to go fix her another cup of tea, rushing off before she could even respond.

He sat staring at Tsunade as she just kept on crying her eyes out. Great, now he _really _felt bad…From what Jiraiya had told him, it took a lot to really get to Tsunade, who had never once shed a tear, other than the time she'd been informed of her loved ones deaths and ran into his arms for comfort, but after that, she'd only seem to be more immune to pain, and then finally, numb all together.

But he, with his tactless words and aggressive attitude, had broken down a mental wall of tolerance for torment that had taken her over two and a half decades to build… all in a matter of minutes, leaving her in her present state of brokenness: weakened and vulnerable.

'_Nice going, Naruto, you asshole, you made a grown woman cry! Now how am I ever gonna get her to come back to the Demon World with me? I don't think Jiraiya or those other geezers on the council would be too happy if I came back without Tsunade, or at least Sakura, accompanying me. But it's even worse than we thought, because apparently, Tsunade hasn't even been keeping up with her training, or passed on any of her skills or original trades down to Sakura; so really, bringing _her_ back wouldn't be any use. Of course I would anyway, though, because I do owe her for saving me, and, she's the only girl I've ever felt this kind of connection with.'_ he thought guiltily.

Just then, Sakura came back in to the room and handed Tsunade the tea and a box of tissues. The woman took them from her apprentice and gave her a small grateful smile. "Thank you Sakura. I don't know what I'd do without you and Shizune around to help me get through everything."

Sakura blushed profusely and gave her a small sheepish grin. "Well, I don't know about that… I don't really think I'm all that important." She laughed a little; a pure, simple, sweet sound that echoed through the room before meeting the two blondes' ears, like the soft and soothing symphony of tinkling bells.

Tsunade stared at her for a while, her eyes once again distant, and her mind already a million miles away. "…You sound just like your mother when you laugh like that," she whispered nostalgically, giving her a warm smile.

Sakura's laughing stopped abruptly, and she now looked at her mentor with wide unbelieving eyes. "Y-You mean you knew my mother…?" she breathed, her voice a hushed, urgent whisper.

Naruto sat quietly, all but forgotten on the couch, and for once in his life, not really minding being overlooked. Though he hadn't bothered to ask, somehow sensing that it might be a little too personal a topic so soon in their formal relationship, he'd wondered since the night she brought him home: where were the girl's parents?

He respected Sakura enough not to invade her personal privacy or ask certain questions about her past, just as she hadn't really asked him much about his, which was good, since he wouldn't have known what to tell her anyway. For some reason, he didn't feel capable of lying to this innocent, mortal pink-haired girl with glittering green eyes that seemed to look right through you like he had with others before to avoid having anyone find out about the terrible secrets he kept stored inside. Yet still, he found himself growing fond of her rather quickly, and wanting to get to know her more; he wasn't a cat, but he was curious nonetheless.

Tsunade nodded calmly and took another long sip of tea. "Of course, in fact I knew both your parents."

"H-H-How…?" she dared to ask.

Tsunade took a dramatically deep breath, as if she were a soap-opera star, preparing for the last scene of the series' climactic conclusion. "Sakura, I was going to wait until your eighteenth birthday before I told you this, as your parents entrusted me with this top-secret information when they were expecting you and first asked me to be your godmother."

Sakura's eyes shot wide open, further enlarging to the size of dinner plates. "But really, what real difference does another year make?" she laughed; then stopped when she noticed her student's face.

"After the war finally ended, the entire Demon World was left in a state of devastation that swept throughout the regions. All five nations were greatly weakened, and some smaller provinces even further divided to the brink of self-collapse. We of the Fire Nation were lucky to have been so financially and economically stable before the war; otherwise, we might not have fared so well. But nothing could make up for the losses everyone suffered, some greater than others, and trust me when I say, that the damage was extensive. Lands once even mightier than ours had been leveled flat, others, practically brought to their knees. I'm not sure what caused ours to endure and prosper; perhaps it was the Will of Fire, as the elders used to say. Still, lives had been lost, homes had been destroyed, families had been divided, and in the end, there was still much suffering, sorrow, and despair to go around. Things looked so bleak, many decided maybe it was best they leave their homelands, and start new lives elsewhere, so they packed up what little belongings they had, and left."

"And you were among them?" Sakura asked, softly, fully attentive to the story her mistress was telling.

"Yes, I left along with my boyfriend's orphaned little niece, who you know as Shizune, along with all the other refugees, including your parents."

The words hit Sakura like a heavy ton of solid cider block bricks. "M-My p-p-parents…!! B-But h-h-how can that be possible?!"

"Simple. Your origins, or rather your parents', lie in the Demon World, Sakura," she replied calmly.

"We were traveling in a group at the time, not knowing what we'd face, but sure we'd have a better chance of survival if we all just stayed together. We'd stopped to rest in a small meadow, because there were other pregnant women with us besides your mother, and the men were getting worried their wives wouldn't have enough energy left to make the trip if we didn't. I remember when I first saw Iris, sitting there on a blanket under a large cherry blossom tree that had just come into full bloom, and nervously twirling the stem of a freshly fallen flower between her fingers. Even three months pregnant and wearing the tattered clothes she'd managed to stitch together from her old ones, she was still radiantly beautiful, and it was quite easy to see why your father had fallen for her."

Tsunade smiled fondly at her apprentice, before continuing. "They were truly happy together, a young couple in the early stages of their passion, just discovering the depth of their love for one another. You could tell it was real by the twinkle in their eyes when they'd look at each other."

"Shizune was off playing with some of the other kids, most of the other men were out searching for more supplies, and everyone else was preoccupied with their own little agendas, so Iris and I were more or less alone. I approached her, and we began chatting for a bit. It didn't take me long to hear her story and become attached to her. She and your father had been childhood friends, and apparently young sweethearts, too. She told me how after her clan was wiped out by a powerful group of strange rogues, she began staying with your father, and they became closer, until they decided to get married and start a family, which is where you kind of first came about."

Sakura, almost unwilling to believe such a tale, opened her mouth, only to find it was too dry to speak, before closing it and trying again. "W-What kind of demons were my parents?" she finally managed to rasp out.

"Your mother was also a half-human, half-demon mix, but never told me which side was which. Anyway, she initially came from an impressive family called the Hanakime clan, well-known for their tremendous strength and super healing abilities, although only a few members ever developed the powers, or carried the potential to begin with. In demon form, they'd be fennecs, a certain type of fox."

At this, Naruto's ears perked and his eyes went wide from shock. So Sakura was part fox like him?! How could he not have known! If that was true, then it was no wonder the connection was almost instantaneous. This new development had the potential to change everything.

"Your father, of course was a Haruno, a clan of coyotes, and while he gave you your bright green eyes, it was your mother that passed down her unusual pink hair." Tsunade chuckled.

"My mom had pink hair as well?"

"Yes, she told me that it was the identifying trait of her clan that told if someone would develop special abilities or not, and only females got it. In males, it simply develops gradually overtime."

"Then that means…_I_ CAN DEVELOP POWERS TOO!!" Sakura screamed. Everything was happening so fast…it was almost too strange to believe. She might not have been able to handle it at all, if not for the fact that she'd already met Naruto, and seen him change from form to form seemingly dozens of times, which made the possibility of her potentially being able to do the same thing a little easier to stomach.

By now, the girl was almost to the point of hyperventilation, and Naruto could see she could end up hurting herself if she became too stressed out, so reasoned it would be best to try and calm her down before Tsunade went on with the story. The blonde sitting beside her firmly took hold of both her shoulders and turned her around to face him. Sakura found herself staring into two deep blue pools.

"Calm down Sakura, getting yourself all worked up won't help solve anything. Plus, frowning and worrying doesn't suit a pretty girl like you, it might give you wrinkles." He held her porcelain face in his hands, as if it were really as delicate and breakable as that of a doll made from glass, and began to gently stroke his thumbs over the rigid lines of her creased brow, succeeding in slowly making her stress lines ease away. She blushed deeply, her eyes widening in shock from the sudden close contact and tender, almost intimate touch. It didn't help that his hands were smooth and warm, sending tingles shooting up her spine and filling her whole body up with a chilling sort of warmth.

'_W-What is this feeling?_' she thought, '_I can't possibly be feeling like this after only just meeting him a few days ago. It's too soon! Love can't be rushed, things just aren't supposed to happen so fast!_'

Tsunade smiled at the sight, happy that if nothing else, the boisterous, tough-talking blond boy could at least make her apprentice happy. The girl's well-being was more important to her than her own, as she truly did treat her like her own daughter. "Now that you've calmed down a bit, I'll continue the story," she announced.

"Alright then, just get on with it already! We don't have all night, grandma!!" Naruto growled.

Tsunade found herself somehow managing to suppress the normally uncontrollable urge to pummel the objects of her frustrations, which was currently Naruto, to a bloody pulp, putting on a forced, cynical smile, the vein above her right temple throbbing noticeably despite herself. Oh well, one out of two wasn't bad…

"As the journey progressed and time went on, our bond only grew stronger, and with two precious people to love again instead of just one, I slowly began to fill the hole in my heart that Dan had left, though not fully. As you would expect, I also became close to your father, and soon it was almost like I had a family again. Traveling along with the three of them in a large group...made me feel happier than I had since the war started. But my happiness was not meant to last, and just as I thought I'd found something solid to hold on to, the same demons of the past came to take it away again…"

"W-What happened?" Sakura whispered.

"The same bastard from before, that's what happened!" Tsunade seethed, then, seeing Sakura's frightened expression, calmed herself down. "You see, by this time, word had gotten back to the Demon World and the now defected Orochimaru, that the last remaining members of the Hanakime and Haruno clans were among the escaped refugees, and the Hanakime heiress was expecting her first born child, which would become the successor to both the Haruno and Hanakime thrones, and most likely, inherit all the parents' strongest powers as well."

"But what does that have to do with Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Orochimaru knows he needs all the strength he can get if he wants to continue with his sick, evil schemes, and he's willing to do whatever it takes. No matter what the price is, he'll pay it, and he doesn't care who he has to step on or knock out of the way to do it." Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"So of course, knowing about the legendary abilities of both clans and hearing Iris was pregnant, he plotted to rob the parents of their abilities and eliminate the unborn competition before it could grow to be too much of a threat. In a sense, he fears you Sakura. He's scared of what you could become capable of, because trust me…you _do_ have that gift." Tsunade looked at her goddaughter solemnly.

Sakura shook her head vigorously. "N-No! I can't possibly have any special hidden gifts or be from any strong, noble-blooded clans. I'm a nobody; a weakling, a _normal _pink-haired misfit. That's what I've always been…" she said sulkily, hanging her head low in shame. "Besides," she sighed, "If there was really anything all that special about me, wouldn't I have known it by now?"

"Not necessarily..." Tsunade stated. "Not if your parents entrusted me to seal your powers away and then unlock them again when I thought you were mature enough to handle having them. I think now's a pretty good time to take them out for a test drive, don't you?" She winked.

"Are you serious?!"

"Absolutely, even though I still want nothing to do with this brat's little quest, or _his _world's salvation, I can see you feel otherwise, don't you?"

"How'd you-"

"Sakura, did you know I was the one to deliver you? I've known you before you really knew yourself. It's written all across your face and showing in your eyes." Tsunade smiled tenderly, like a mother consoling her confused young child on matters of the heart.

"You've grown attached to this…mutt, and you feel compelled to help his cause. Though, as your mentor and guardian, I can't allow you to do that until you're properly prepared and fully aware of all the dangers you could face out there in the Demon World. I promised your parents I'd keep you safe…at all costs. You've become like a daughter to me over the years, and I refuse to lose someone else special to me when I could easily prevent it."

Sakura flushed a pink that rivaled her hair, but still meant her mentor's eyes. "It's amazing…that you know me so well," she mumbled quietly.

"Furthermore," Tsunade continued, walking over and placing a gentle hand on top of her head. "As your mother-figure, who am I to stop you from doing something that I can obviously see you've got your heart set on?" Sakura jumped up and hugged her tightly.

"T-Tsunade-sama…" she whispered.

* * *

**T**ired black eyes slowly opened and blinked several times while he waited for them to adjust to the sunlight steadily streaming through the half-drawn curtains in the room. The first thing Sasuke noticed was that he had woken up on a big pile of soft fleece blankets instead of the dirty forest floor like he'd expected. He racked his memory of the night before, trying to think of what had happened to make his body ache so fiercely. Then, images of the chase, the ferocious battle, and narrow escape that followed flooded his mind, and he sighed, then, groaned out in utter misery as his head started throbbing from his efforts.

'_I feel like I've been run over by a herd of stampeding bison…This hurts almost as bad as the time that baka Naruto pushed me over the edge of that waterfall and into the stream where all those elephant demons were bathing, and they freaked out and starting jumping around everywhere._'

He'd almost gotten drowned and squished during that incident, and had promptly given Naruto a very thorough pummeling after he'd laughed and said Sasuke looked like a soaking-wet sewer rat trying not to get caught crushed by giants.

Shrugging of the memory, he tried once again to sit up, this time going extremely slowly so as not to agitate his extremely sore body. It worked, and he was able to look down to see he'd returned to his human form, and of course…was completely naked, aside from the bandages that wrapped his lean upper torso all the way down to the end of his spine, where his tail would normally be when it was out. But how had he gotten wrapped up? Who would take the time to treat his wounds so tenderly? As if to answer his question, his sensitive ears suddenly became aware of the steady sound of soft, even breathing coming from a bed just a few feet away from where he sat. Slowly, he stood up, and crept forward, until he stood at the edge of the bed, watching the face of the one who had saved him, and transfixed by the peaceful expression that lit it up.

She had extremely pale skin, a few shades lighter than his own, and very delicate looking features: round, slightly rosy cheeks, long, curly eyelashes, soft-looking, full light pink lips, and from what he could tell, long, indigo hair, with just a bit of blue tinting it in the light, not unlike his own ebony locks.

He continued to stand there, watching her, unable to avert his eyes, for reasons he couldn't fully fathom. Perhaps it was because she just looked so cherubic and sweet… a perfect portrait of child-like innocence. The very essence of an angel, he thought, then mentally slapped himself for doing so.

Though she may have essentially saved his life, and he did owe her for that, he would not allow her susceptibly fascinating appearance to make him go soft and loose focus on the mission, which he still had yet to complete.

He would not allow this mortal's charms to weaken him.

But he had quite some time left to heal, and who better to help him then the one who had rescued him from an early and unfortunate demise in the first place? Then, as if to remind him that his hair-raising adventures had deterred him from eating a decent meal for almost two in a half days, his stomach growled loudly, alerting both the slumbering woman, and the owner himself, that it was ready to eat and would not stop crying until it was rewarded with solid, fulfilling food.

Hinata rolled over and groaned in her sleep, the growls of Sasuke's stomach not going unnoticed by her receptive and highly-attuned ears. Despite Sasuke's best efforts to mentally scold his stomach into silence, it just wouldn't listen, and growled again, this time even louder, just to show its defiance. Hinata's eyes slowly fluttered open, also needing adjustment to the strong sunlight coming in through the window and sending swirling, little spots flashing in and out of her vision. Sasuke, still staring at her face intently despite the voice at the back of his mind that told him he should hurry and change back into wolf form, hide, or do anything besides standing there like an idiot, caught a brief glimpse of pale, hazy lavender eyes, before she also looked up into his face and closed them shut again, blinking back the image of the tall, slender, handsome, naked man standing over her.

'_I…I must not be completely a-awake yet…Yes, that's it, I'm still dreaming. How else would I explain the strange, naked man hovering over me while I slept…?_'

Unfortunately for Hinata, when she opened her eyes yet again, the man was still there, bare-skinned as the day he was born and standing within plain sight, looking down at her in all his naked glory. So naturally, the Hyuga did the first thing any self-respecting woman with half an ounce of sense would do when placed in this most peculiar situation: she snatched the covers all the way up past her head and screamed at the top of her lungs, which maybe wasn't so bright after all, since the thick blankets muffled the majority of the sound, but not all of it, and Sasuke had to cover his aching ears to keep the shrill racket out.

'_How can something so pretty and fragile-looking make such a terrible noise? And so much of it at that…_' he thought, not even realizing how he'd referred to the woman currently cowering under her blankets in fear of him.

Desperate to stop the ear-splitting din of noise, he jumped on the bed and climbed on top of the form hidden under the sheets without another thought as to how compromising the position would seem to any onlooker, or the fact that he was still, well…totally unclothed! Hinata squealed when she felt the added weight on top of her, that is until Sasuke pulled the blankets down with one harsh tug and placed his smooth pale palm over her mouth, glaring down at her dangerously. "Not another sound do you hear me? My ears are already sore, and I can become quite unpleasant when forced to deal with such a racket. Is that clear?" Hinata nodded vigorously, her eyes wide with fear, and Sasuke slowly moved his palm from over her mouth.

"Good," he grunted out.

"W-W-Who are you? P-Please d-d-don't hurt me…" Hinata whispered timidly, her lower lip trembling and her eyes brimming with tears.

Sasuke looked deep in to her large lilac orbs, and almost got lost in their mesmerizing depths of near transparency. "No," he breathed. "I won't hurt you. I…grudgingly, still owe you for saving my life, after all. I'm not so shallow as to harm you simply to get out of paying my debts. But I want to know…are you by chance…a Hyuga?"

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise, wondering how he could stay so calm about everything, but guessed it was because he currently had the upper hand over her, literally. She also wondered how he knew she was a Hyuga, or what he meant by 'saving his life'. This man didn't owe her anything, and she was sure she'd never seen him before in her life! Although she normally wasn't one to pay much attention to members of the opposite sex, she had to admit, even if silently, that he was quite attractive, and a face as handsome as that was not one she was likely to soon forget. He looked like the high school hottie all the girls lusted after, but loved playing it cool and hard to get, only flirting to satisfy his hormonally-induced desires, and acting the role of the lone wolf the rest of the time.

"Y-Yes," she managed to stammer, "I'm H-H-Hinata, the heiress of t-the Hyuga c-c-clan."

'_That would definitely explain the eyes, then._' he thought to himself. Now it was Sasuke's turn to be surprised, though he managed to regain his composure just a few minutes after he misplaced it. "Hn. The heiress, huh? That's funny…I could've sworn it was that little brat Hanabi that was supposed to take over after Hiashi."

"W-Who's Hanabi?" she asked softly.

"Hmm…You don't know her? If you're the heiress, then wouldn't she be your little sister?" he asked flatly.

This was absolutely ridiculous! Hinata thought. 'Why was she sitting in bed talking casually with some strange man who'd suddenly appeared, completely naked, and was now quizzing her own personal trivia about her life? Shouldn't she be scared out of her mind, or trying to think of a way to escape and go find help?

Sasuke, who was a highly-trained, valued member of the Anbu Black Op, could sense her thoguths and interrupt her actions almost before she knew them herself, and moved to seal her mouth over again before she could even open it to scream. "Oh no you don't, no screaming. I thought I told you before, I won't hurt you…"

She suddenly remembered his earlier words. "_No. I won't hurt you. I…grudgingly, still owe you for saving my life, after all._"

"W-What did y-you m-mean before by s-s-saving y-your life?" she asked curiously, gently moving his hand aside so she could speak.

Sasuke briefly pondered over whether or not he should tell this…human, about who he was, where he was from, what he meant. '_What's the worse that could happen? She is a Hyuga after all, and even though she doesn't know she has a little sister named Hanabi, that's not really my problem. She should still know about the Hyuga clan's special abilities, right?_' Finally, he decided it was alright to show her his true form, his demonic side...well, purposely, that is.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before exhaling again. Already, he could feel the tingling sensation that happened every time, right before he changed form, as the urge to have the furry sheath covering his naked being, and his teeth turn into fangs, overtook him, the excitement and animalistic adrenaline of his wolf-like side taking control. "This," He gave a throaty growl. "This is what I meant…"

Hinata watched him fixedly, unable to look away, her mind a mixture emotions ranging from shock, awe, fright and horror. She couldn't believe this seemingly normal man (or rather, normal-_looking_), was changing shape right before her very eyes. Seeing was supposed to believing, but not everything was always as it seemed, and it _was_ possible for the mortal eye to be fooled, wasn't it?

How many times in history had it happened before? How many different situations? On movies screens, at magic shows, even everyday happenings. Who was to say how much of it was illusionary, and how much was light? It wasn't as if she had X-ray vision or the ability to see through illusions of the eye…

A bright flash came and she had to shield her eyes with both arms to protect them from the nearly blinding light. When it had dimmed down, she opened them again, very slowly, feeling a soft, solid, furry object brush against her bare, exposed arms, and sending shivers of goose-bumps spreading over her skin like ripples on the surface of a pond.

'_Now do you see?_' came the same smooth, rich, baritone voice from before, only this time, it echoed through the extending pathways of her mind, like a shout inside a cave.

Her eyes opened and so did her mouth (but for different reasons), as she gazed upon a large, blackish-blue wolf, slightly smaller than an average adult male, but bigger than a regular wolf. It was so big in fact, that Hinata was sure she could right comfortably on its back using a saddle and harness made for a small pony, although something told her the beast wouldn't appreciate that very much. It stared back at here with deep, bottomless ebony eyes, a slight smirk seeming to curve its lips and making a few fangs visible. Hinata swallowed hard, the concept of a man that could turn from a two-legged human to a four-legged beast at will being a little hard for her to fathom. The room started spinning as she felt light-headed and woozy.

'_No._' snapped the voice, though the creature's mouth didn't seem to be moving. '_No fainting, or else I really might have to hurt you._' As if to demonstrate the point, the wolf gave Hinata's hand a firm nip, not enough to break the skin, but hard enough to get his message across.

"W-What are y-you? W-What do you w-want w-w-with me?" Hinata asked fearfully, rubbing her reddened hand, and then glancing up at the colossal creature that'd bitten her.

Now Sasuke was both utterly surprised and confused. '_Shouldn't you know? Haven't you ever seen another demon in their true form before? Haven't you ever switched skins?_' he asked incredulously, as if she'd asked if the world was really round, or if humans really needed to breath air in order to survive.

Though he normally tried his best to hide his emotions whenever he spoke, a habit learned after having been an Anbu squad captain for so long, knowing that the slightest implication of one's inner thoughts could possibly give the enemy an advantage to use against you, it was temporarily forgotten in the aftermath of his shock, and he involuntarily allowed a small amount of curiosity, befuddlement, and marvel to leak in to his tone and mix with the sarcasm already there, nearly canceling it out altogether.

"D-_Demon_?!" Hinata visibly blanched. "I…I…I'm not a… I…I only have one f-f-form…I c-c-can't j-just change b-back and f-forth l-l-like that… I d-d-didn't even k-k-know d-d-demons r-really existed, I-I just thought i-it was something they made up t-to s-scare l-little k-kids…"

Sasuke's head tilted to one side in a rather cute fashion, his animal half taking over some of his actions. '_How is that possible when you're a Hyuga? The Hyuga are one of the most power clan of demons that exists. How can you claim to be the heiress and not know that?' _

Hinata shook her head rapidly. "N-No, t-that c-cant be true. E-Even if d-d-demons were real, m-my family c-cant be…b-because then I'd b-b-be one as well."

_'So then what if you are? It's possible, and highly likely.'_

"N-No...i-i-it...c-can't be..."

Sasuke was beginning to get frustrated with this girl's lack of acknowledgement or acceptance of the situation. Whether she wanted to believe him or not, if she was really a Hyuga, which she'd already admitted she was and her eyes clearly showed, then she was at least part demon, and the genes that carried her clan's famous abilities should be mixed into her blood…shouldn't they?

He'd just have to find a way to draw them out and make her see that. It was the only way he'd get anywhere, as he still had yet to complete his mission, and he knew that the wounds his pursuers had obtained during their last fight wouldn't deter them for long. Hinata could be of use to him since she was a Hyuga; he might even be able to find a way to track down some of his comrades through her. But he'd need her to cooperate, first. And he was determined to use her abilities to his advantage even if he had to force them out of her…

'_Hinata…_' he suddenly said. She acknowledged him with a curious, innocent gaze. '_Close your eyes and concentrate, hard. Think of an animal, any animal, then focus on its features, force your mind to remember everything you know about its proper appearance, then try to change into it. Really try hard, okay?_' he commanded, but still trying to sound gentle so as not to frighten her.

And without really knowing why, she did what he bayed, perhaps too many years of taking orders without question, or the fact that she was just submissive and obedient by nature. Soon, she'd found an animal, its fuzzy image growing clearer and sharper with details as she channeled all her thoughts, her energy and will power into becoming the creature, no matter how silly and futile her inner voice told her it might be.

'_Have you found one yet?_'

Hinata, afraid to speak and break her train of thought, nodded a reply instead. '_Y-Yes…_'

'_Good. Now, take it a step further and become that animal._'

Hinata started to protest, but then thought better of it, and tried to make her features match the animal of her mental image. At first, it felt as if nothing was happening, and Hinata started to open her eyes and tell the wolf man ever so politely that she'd been right and he'd been wrong, when suddenly, to her great astonishment, her body started to shrink, and her skin prickled, become covered with the fluffy, soft fur of her latent second form. It was happening! It was _really_ happening!! She was making the switch for the first time ever! It felt as if an undiscovered part of her had been found, and a burst of emotion so intense she thought she'd explode was suddenly released, like a weight in her chest she hadn't even know was there being lifted up at long last.

Hinata felt different, and her clothes felt surprisingly looser…no, much looser! They were all but burying her! She felt like she was suffocating, and began trying to paw her way out of the darkness! "H-Help me!" she squeaked.

Somehow, her voice sounded even higher-pitched than before, almost like someone with a throat full of helium talking, though not quite nearly as irritating, as it seemed to have still retained its soft, soothing quality during the change, for which she was very grateful for, since she hated those kinds of voices and almost certainly would've become a mute had she had to hear herself talking in that whiny pitch.

She wiggled around hopelessly in the dark, until someone reached into the pile of fabric and lifted her out carefully, hoisting her up into a pair of lean, muscular and very strong arms.

Sasuke cradled the cuddly creature against his toned pale chest, looking down at it with start. He was now naked and in his human form again, deciding maybe it was best he not stay so big and wolf-like…It would be rather intimidating to a smaller animal, and Hinata's animal instincts could kick in and cause her to act out in self-defense, ending in injuries for the both of them, or so he'd thought…

That is, until after he'd pulled the adorable little rodent from the garments Hinata had shed during her transformation. Sasuke knew for a fact that this was **not** the second form of the Hyuga, and this girl was most **definitely** _from_ said clan. So then why was she so…rodent-like, when she was supposed to be something with a little less fur and more feathers, like, oh say…an owl!! Instead, she'd turned into one of the owl's main source of prey…boy, was she a weird woman or what. He sweat dropped, despite himself. He placed the small creature down on the beige-colored bed sheets, and ran a pale white hand through his spiky, black locks.

"Look Hinata, I don't really know how to tell you this but…the Hyuga clan's demon form is an owl and you've turned into, well…there food of choice so, if you ever went near one of your family members after this looking like you do now… they'd probably eat you on sight."


	7. Coming to Grips with the Bare Facts

**Authoress' Notes(JUST SO YOU KNOW FOR ANY OF YOU WHO ARE BOTHERING TO READ THIS, THIS AUTHORESS' NOTE IS OLD, SO IT NO LONGER APPLIES AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ IT...but anyway, please carry on, as you were...:**

**Hi again everyone!! How've you all been? I've been fair, but also better. Anyway, I'm preparing for my final exams of the year so this might be the last chapter for a little while… Oh, but before you start to cry, the tests don't even last a week. So, I actually may have updated again by the end of next weekend. And…I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, the mood was very suspenseful and dramatic, wasn't it? I hope so at least, since that **_**is**_** the effect I was going for. Anyway, no more to say at this point, so on with chapter seven (which, just so happens to be my lucky number…and as I'm sure I've stated before, favorite squad all together. But I like some members of the other squads too, just not the same. Team seven will always hold a special place in my heart *sniffles* lol)**

**P.S. In case you haven't noticed, and this is specifically addressed to those of you who don't particularly like reading my little memos at the beginning and ending of the chapters, and would rather get straight to the story because you think they're annoying, pointless, and a waste of time (those of you who are reading this and nodding your heads going, "Mmhm…Yup, sure do!" than thanks a lot, you really hurt my feelings…I hate you all! Wahahah!! Just kidding…!) (^^) **

**Then you should probably know that while not all of them are necessary to read in order to understand the chapter, and I certainly can't make you if I don't want to, as it'd take way too much effort on my part to split myself into enough pieces to be in every household my stories are being read in at once, I'd prefer you do so anyway seeing as there may be a bit of important information thrown in somewhere every now and again.**

**However, being as I am a fanfic reader as well as a writer, I sympathize with those of you who hate reading long, pointless, boring author's notes, even if it's just to scan to see if there's anything important in them. So I've come up with a simple and helpful way to distinguish the difference between important and non-important ones, which you all are free to use, just as long as you don't start claiming you thought of it.**

**Whenever you see the text written in all capital letters, with certain words like "important" "very" "super" and stuff like that, then you know it's important. But whenever you see it written like it was above at the top of the page, then you know it's usually no big deal, and you can kind of go ahead and blow it off if you really want to, although sometimes I just might forget to capitalize, or feel too lazy, so you've been warned… not reading these notes may cause you to miss out on vital information. **

_**NOW **_**on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter Seven:

_Coming to Grips with the Bare Facts_

* * *

**I**n a snug little hotel room on the outskirts of Konoha, a young woman struggled to come to grips with the fact that she was a small, soft animal in the arms of a handsome and completely naked man who had mysteriously appeared overnight, then, transformed into a gorgeous wolf with silky, rich black fur right before her very eyes.

Everything was just happening so fast…too fast for Hinata's liking. She felt light-headed, and wished she could scream, or faint, or do anything to make the world stop spinning and keep the utterly confusing entanglement of thoughts from penetrating the weak mental barriers of her mind.

But sadly, the beautiful man had forbidden her from doing any of those things, and she dared not go against his commands. Afraid of what those sharp, wicked wolf claws and equally long, dagger-like fangs could do to a poor, defenseless rabbit like her. Yes, that's right, she was a rabbit. It was quite hard to wrap her mind around, considering she had been a perfectly normal human being just moments ago.

She looked down at herself again, as if to clarify that she really was different than before.

The sight of fluffy white fur, dainty little paws, and even a cute cotton ball of a tail almost made her feel like fainting again.

And the naked man sitting beside her on the bed didn't really help things either. In fact, he was the one who forced her to change in the first place. Made her discover the shock and horror of uncovering her demon side, her hidden other form.

"This may all come as a surprise to you, Hinata, and I'm not quite sure why no one has told you of your heritage before now. But I assure you, that for those of demon pedigree like you and I, _this_ is considered normal, even though it might not seem like it right now." Sasuke told her coolly.

Blinking solemnly once, Hinata stared blankly into space, not quite sure how to react to this life-changing news, and the fact that it was being given to her so late in her life instead of early on—when it would've had less of an impact—and by a total stranger no less!

It was then that she realized that she still didn't know this strange man's name. She had called him the "wolf man" in her thoughts, but didn't really know what to adress him by out loud. Something told her that continuing to adress him as she had in her mind would not be appreciated. So she mustered up some courage and decided to ask him his name. After all, it was only fair since he already knew hers and apparently, a great deal more about her and her family than she did.

'_E-Excuse m-m-me but I forgot to ask you y-your name before...' _Hinata tried to say, though instead of the words coming directly from her mouth like they normally would, they seemed to pop out of her head and float through the room like a butterfly in an open meadow.

Even though he was no longer in his animal form, Sasuke could still hear her thoughts, because he was born and raised in the Demon World and had practiced using and learning how to master his powers from an early age. For an experienced demon like him, it was easy to hear another demon's thoughts, no matter what form they were in, so long as they weren't already engaged in another telepathic conversation with someone else. But for someone like Hinata with no previous practice in using their abilities whatsoever, she could only hear his when he was in his other form.

"It's Sasuke, Sasuke Uchiha. And once again, in case you're wondering, this is also something that goes along with having a demonic lineage." he explained casually. Obviously, this was indeed, something he was used to, as his confident tone and powerful yet calm aura clearly showed. Hinata, however, was an entirely different story...

Hinata was beyond dismayed, and with good reason.

In the course of one day…no, barely more than a few hours, so much around her had already changed forever. She found out through the forcefulness and tenacity of a mysterious man that she had a gift—a rather bizarre one no doubt, but a gift none the less—for shape-shifting, of all things—as if people didn't find her strange enough already...

And apparently, she wasn't alone. Instead she was just one of many others out there like her, with odd abilities of their own, all previously having successfully avoided coming into contact with her or alerting her of their existence.

Everything she'd ever thought she knew about herself, her family, her world, or her very existence had been completely shattered, just like that. Everything, from the very beginning, was all a lie…and her family was full of secrets she didn't even know was possible for anyone to have, or hide for that matter. But somehow, they had managed to hide it all away from her…this strange fantasy world full of others like her, and whatever she, no, they, really were.

_"Demons"_, Sasuke had called them. That's what her kind and his and all the others in between were supposed to be. …But, weren't demons also said to be some type of horrible monsters? Weren't they cursed and evil and all things hellish and impure? That's what she'd always been taught to believe at least, growing up in a world of mortals with wild imaginations and seemingly irrational fears. But maybe…they weren't so irrational after all.

She really didn't know; poor Hinata was so confused that she wasn't sure what to think anymore, or who she could trust. After so many years unwittingly unaware of all that secretly went on around her, what else could her relatives be concealing?

Anything was possible, Hinata was certain of that if nothing else.

Being distracted and inexperienced in how to properly use her abilities, her form began to waver, and without even noticing, she began to change back, and was soon sitting there, naked, in her human form once again.

It didn't take her very long to realize this, as a sudden draft blew through the air vents in the room and caused a shiver to run up the girl's spine, no longer having the thick and protective pelt of her rabbit form to cover her. Hinata looked down at herself and screamed, quickly hopping off the bed and scrambling as far away from Sasuke's shameless stare as possible.

She snatched up the blankets that'd been abandoned in the corner and hastily tried to cover her nude form from view, shivering and blushing profusely in embarrassment all the while. Though he tried his best to hide the obvious amusement he felt at her flustered state, Sasuke couldn't help the smirk that spread across his lips or the silent snickering dancing clearly in his eyes. The way she reacted, it was almost like she'd never been naked in front of a man before.

Given her seemingly bashful nature and naive attitude, however, he wouldn't be surprised. Hinata would be happy to know that Sasuke hadn't really seen anything. A brief flash of skin but nothing specific or apparent.

"Unfortunately, when it comes to anything more specific regarding your clan, I'm not the one to ask. From what I know, the Hyuga have always been very exclusive about what goes on inside their compound walls, and I'm not really one to pry into another's business, unless it's necessary or suits me in particular at least. So I suggest you contact your father, Hiashi, the head of clan, if you want any more information. And make it as fast as possible; time is of the essence here." Sasuke said nonchalantly as he tossed her clothes to her.

Hinata nodded obediently, trying to put her clothes back on while keeping herself carefully covered up at the same time, in case Sasuke decided to peek again. Finally, somehow she managed to complete the task, and stood up rather wobbily, as if spending that brief amount of time on all fours had made her forget how to walk properly on two. "Yes, I…I think I will…there's so much I don't know, and now I need to find out…b-but…I…" she suddenly stared down at her feet, as if looking anywhere else was a sin against humanity, her perfectly trimmed bangs falling slightly into her eyes.

"You what? You don't think you're ready yet, because this definitely can't wait Hinata."

Hinata's head snapped up and she stared at Sasuke with wide, pale purple eyes, before shaking her head back in forth in a very animated manner. "Oh, n-no…it's not that…w-well actually it sort of is…I..um…"

"Just say it," Sasuke snapped, temporarily losing his patience with the fumbling Hyuga heiress.

"I w-want to go as soon as I can…b-but I d-d-don't think I c-can do it alone…I'm n-not s-strong enough, and h-honestly, I…I'm k-kind of s-s-scared. I m-mean, my father didn't t-t-tell me so…it must mean he d-didn't want me to k-k-know and if I ask him about it, he m-might get really mad, and I don't know what h-he'd do…" she confessed nervously, fidgeting with her fingers and carefully avoiding eye contact.

"If that's all it's about then I'll escort you there. So all you need to do is find out where he is now and I can take you to meet him. Think of it as my way of paying the debt I owed you for saving my life."

_'That's right...the injured wolf I found in the forest the other night...It's all finally coming together. If what he says is true, then that must've been him! And to think I was that worried and upset about finding a strange man in my room when I woke up when I'm the one who brought him here...'_ Hinata thought to herself.

Being the naturally caring person she was, Hinata instantly started to worry about Sasuke's wounds and whether he'd be well enough to travel after remebering the sight of the battered animal she'd hoisted into the small rented hotel room not so long ago. There were so many wounds...and so much blood everywhere...he couldn't possibly be fully recovered yet, Hinata concluded.

She shook her head fervently, "N-No, y-you can't come! I-It's t-t-too soon! You still need your rest and-" Her adamant speech was cut short when Sasuke suddenly pushed her back onto the bed and pressed himself flat on top of her, making Hinata's heart pound ruggedly in her throat, her face turn bright beet red, and causing her blood pressure to soar.

These kind of things sure were happening a lot lately. In fact, she'd never found herself in so many precariously intimate positions with a member of the opposite sex before in her life. Or at all for that matter! Hinata figured it was just another one of the many things about her life that'd changed since meeting Sasuke. Thinking this reminded Hinata of the scary situation she had found herself in all over again, and she mentally started to scream and cry for help until her head hurt from the effort of trying to hold it all in.

But it was hard when you were staring at the swirling, crimson red eyes of death himself...or someone who seemed to be the epitome of it anyway.

With only one hand held firmly at her wrists, he had managed to lock her arms in place over her head and use the other to seal her mouth so no sound could escape One of his legs was wedged forcefully in between hers to keep her from lashing out with her feet or moving around, and the other was tightly pressed into her side, causing a sharp, throbbing pain to start surging through her body as he continued to dig deeper and deeper into her ribs until she thought for sure he would break them.

"That wasn't an offer, you know; it was a demand. As in, I'm going with you, whether you want me to or not." he growled harshly in her ear, his voice sounding low and menacing. Hinata shook violently underneath him as his lips curled back a bit, revealing unnaturally long, sharp canines. Anyone with half a brain could tell they belonged to a carnivorous, bloodthirsty hunter. And Hinata was sure she might just become his next meal if she wasn't careful.

Tears slowly started to leak from her round lavender orbs as she stared up into his harsh, gleaming red ones. Seeing the liquid starting to trickle from her eyes, Sasuke decided he'd scared her enough for now, and it was safe to say she wouldn't try defying him again anytime soon.

"Besides," he grunted slightly as he carefully lifted himself away from her, making Hinata blush furiously as his muscular chest was made visible and the fact that he was still completely uncovered crossed her mind, "we wolf demons are notoriously fast healers, and your medical balm helped the wounds heal even faster, so I'll be fine." he said confidently, smirking in a obviously arrogant way.

Hinata sat up slowly, her hand to her chest; her heart was still racing rapidly and the blood inside her was rushing everywhere all at once so quickly it made her feel like there was an erupting volcano flooding her stomach and other insides. Sasuke's wild and volatile nature scared her, and although he seemed calm, at least for the moment, she knew he could go off again at anytime, and decided she'd best be prepared if and when he did.

He'd promised he wouldn't harm her, but it was so hard to trust his words alone when she'd seen those dagger-like fangs with her own two eyes and the animalistic look of bloodlust flashing in his.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted, however, by none other than the very person she'd been thinking about. The man who, coincidentally, just so happened to be the one she feared the most at the moment... "Hey...you wear clothes in the human world all the time in public, don't you? And since no one really changes into any other forms besides the one they're already in here, then that means I have to wear clothes before we can go anywhere." Sasuke stated.

"O-Oh, um...I t-think I might have some extra clothes y-you can borrow..." Hinata mumbled timidly, rushing to her bags to look for something the wolf demon could temporarily put on.

Sasuke smirked again, this time even smugger-looking than before. "Good girl...I knew you would."

Catching up with his comrade and completing the mission would be a breeze so long as he kept this submissive girl wrapped around his finger...

* * *

**S**akura slowly opened her eyes, blinking, and waiting for her vision to become clear again. As soon as she sat up and stretched, looking up with a start at the unfamiliar color of the tan ceiling above her, memories of the night before swarmed into her head. A sudden wave of anxiety and a sharp, tight pain slowly building in her chest and spreading throughout her body came with them.

The night before, right before they'd all gone to bed, Sakura, along with a little prompting from Tsunade, had decided that today would be the day she released the sealing spell that had contained Sakura's powers for so many years, allowing her to fully embrace her recently discovered other half. A half that was somewhat frightening, unfamiliar, and far from being considered human.

As Sakura set to work taking a shower in the bathroom between the room she was staying in and the connected hallway, she let the refreshingly warm water run over her milky skin and thought about how last night's new revelation would explain so much previously thought complex and bewildering parts of her life. Like why she had pink hair, which she'd learned in her middle and high school science classes was impossible for a normal human to have naturally.

But Sakura always knew that one way or another, she was never really normal... (**A/N: the following paragraphs in italics indicate flashbacks from Sakura's childhood, though they will still be told like previous content, in third-person) **

_She could still remember how she'd grown up feeling alone and unwanted, constantly being passed from one foster home to another from the time she was barely able to crawl, to the time she turned sixteen, and legally became able to live by herself. But before that, life for Sakura was very, very hard and she'd almost given up hope that things would ever get any better for her before she met Ino for the first time._

_Sakura would find herself in and out of the orphanage for short periods of time while she waited for someone to come along and take her home. And even though she was a smart, obediant little girl who never got into trouble and barely talked to anyone else, she still had a hard time finding a place to stay._

_People were skeptical as to why a child of no more than a few years old had such an odd feature as pink hair, and when assured by the attendants who ran the orphanage that no one had dyed it and it had always been that way, they became even more hesitant._

_After all, a physical feature such as an abnormal hair color, extremely pale skin, or uncommonly bright eyes usually meant that a person had very odd, or even damaged DNA, and sometimes were the signs of a rare genetic disease. Unfortunately for Sakura, she had all three abnormalities, and despite her cute appearance and obvious intelligence, no one seemed to want to take any chances by allowing such a strange child into their home._

_On the seldom occasions someone did show an interest in becoming Sakura's foster family, it usually didn't last very long, much to the little girl's agonizing disappointment. Not that being a part of a family was really any better for her, as Sakura's foster parents were usually too busy working or taking care of the numerous other children in their care to pay poor Sakura any real attention._

_Besides that, her foster brothers and sisters always made it a game to make fun of Sakura's hair and, according to them, the unusually large size of her forehead, and the adults never really did much to stop them. Other times the kids just avoided her all together, preferring to shun her for her unique appearances with their frowns of disapproval, scrutinizing gazes, and cold attitudes toward her, instead of openly pointing them out._

_Either way, Sakura always felt sad and lonely, and spent the time she had to herself crying somewhere in private, wondering what she'd done for her life to end up so miserable, and wishing there was something she could do to make it get better._

_Although no one would ever guess this because for the most part, Sakura seemed to be content with her life and never really volunteered any information about her past, always politely dismissing the discussion whenever it was brought up or avoiding it all together whenever possible._

_It was on a day just like any other for Sakura that she finally had it with her foster siblings constant teasing and ran away to the local park just a few minutes away from where she lived at the time to escape her tormentors. She was intent on staying there as long as possible, but to her dismay, some of the older kids from school, who also often hung out at the park and bullied her even more than her so called "family" did, were there to make her already miserable experience even worse._

_Their leader was a spoiled, nasty girl named Ami with dark purple hair and mean, little eyes that loved jabbing Sakura in the forehead and calling her names like "billboard brow" and "forehead girl", while everyone else laughed and pointed, who was a few years older than Sakura. Today she'd brought her older sister Karin along, and as they crowded around her along with a whole group of their friends, poking her forehead and calling her names while Sakura cried and begged them to stop, something not so ordinary happened._

_A girl about Sakura's age with short, blonde hair and light, sky blue eyes wearing an orange tank top and bright yellow shorts ran up to them and pushed her way through the crowd until she was standing in front of Sakura, who was curled up on the ground with her arms wrappped tightly around her knees and her chin down on top of them as warm, salty tears rolled off her face, facing Ami and Karin and glaring at them defiantly._

_When Ami's older sister demanded that she move or suffer the consequences, the girl just placed both hands on her hips in defiance and firmly stood her ground, never taking her eyes away from the cruel sisters as she leaned forward until she was right in their faces and their noses almost touched, before saying in a loud, confidant voice, "No,"_

_Everyone was shocked by this girl's boldness and the way she stood up to the two sisters, who were known for terrorizing other kids, without so much as blinking, but none more than Sakura. She was amazed and a little confused-- after all no one had ever stood up for her before-- but happy nonetheless. It felt good to finally have someone on her side, someone who seemed stronger and capable of holding her own in a challenging situation such as this._

_"W-What'd you just say?!" Ami had stammered, obviously in disbelief just like everyone else there._

_"I said **no**," the girl repeated fiercely._

_"Why you...and just who do you think you are?" Karin had demanded, tossing her long, dark brown hair over her shoulder and adjusted her glasses so they sat just on the bridge of her nose and gave her an even snobbier look, something she always did when she was trying to look her most intimidating or make a point._

_"Well, since you asked, I might as well tell you, even though I don't think fashion-challenged bullies like the two of you really deserve to know." the girl replied, crossing her arms over her chest and giving them a smug, superior look of her own. "It's Ino Yamanaka; and don't forget it because I'm not going to tell you again, got it?" _

_That was the first time Sakura had ever heard her savior's name, and she wanted to test it out and see how it sounded on her tongue as she mumbled it to herself quietly and continued to stare at the blonde-haired girl in awe._

_But Karin and Ami were not impressed, and they glared harshly at Ino, seething silently. "Grr...you...why should what we do even matter to you, anyway? We weren't bothering you and this doesn't concern you in the first place! So why are you just butting in like this?" Ami had asked angrily._

_"Because," Ino drawled slowly as if Ami were too stupid to understand when she talked normally. "I happened to be here and saw everybody crowding around and yelling about something so I decided to see what was going on, which I'm allowed to do since this **is** a** public** park. That's when I saw you all picking on a girl who was outnumbered and probably can't even defend herself, so I decided to help." she explained exasperatedly "And besides, I bet she never did anything to any of you in the first place. You're probably just doing this because you have nothing better to do and want to look tough in front of all your friends, right?"_

_At this remark, Ami and Karin became furious as their faces heated up and their cheeks turned matching shades of dark, cherry red. "Oh, what do you know anyway? Like my sister said before, this doesn't even involve you, so just get out of here unless you want to end up like her." Karin said, pointing to Sakura and giving Ino her best scary-faced look._

_"I told you already, I have just as much right to be here as you two or anyone else, and I don't have to leave if I don't want to." Ino told them hotly._

_"You blonde-haired little brat, now you've really gone and got me mad!" Karin declared, rolling up her sleeves and taking a step toward Ino, after having initially backed up as she'd walked further into them, her younger sister mimicking her actions._

_Sakura and the rest of the crowd gasped in anticipation, and Sakura cried out "Ino, no!" But Ino just looked back and gave her a reassuring smile as the sisters charged forward with their arms out in front of them as if to knock Ino over. Suddenly, Ino ducked just in time to avoid their hands, and they lost their balance and stumbled a bit as Ino reached into one of her pant's pockets and pulled out a small bundle of delicate-looking purple flowers with long, green stems and multiple layers of petals. _

_Ino twirled around as if doing some sort of dance instead of dodging a blow in a fight, and looked just as elegant and graceful as any young ballerina would. "Take this!" she shouted as she through a handful of flowers at each girl. They stood there with their mouths wide open, frozen in surprise and unable to move as the flowers came flying toward them and down their throats, both girls falling over simultaneously. _

_"I'd be careful with those if I were you...it's a very dangerous, poisionous flower known as ninja wolves'bane. If you don't hurry and wash your mouths out with soap right now, who knows what'll happen..." Ino trailed off morbidly, a curious look in her eyes even as she spoke such serious words and gave the two girls an urgent, almost pitying look._

_The crowd of kids, who'd been watching the whole thing silently with baited breath shared one collective gasp and stared down at the sisters expectantly, not sure what to do next. However, they quickly recovered and hopped to their feet, still both mad as bulls, but seeming to look as if ready to accept defeat after being given a taste of their own medicine... "Arrgh! I can't believe she poisoned us! Come on, Ami, let's go home and rinse our mouths out real good!" Karin said, spitting out the flowers and grabbing her little sister by the wrist, already leading her away._

_As they started to hurry away, Ami stopped and turned to face Ino with a angry glare, "You win this time, but we'll get you back for this Ino! And you too, Sakura, just you wait until no one else is around to save you, you little crybaby, then we'll pay you back double!" she exclaimed as she was dragged off. _

_The crowd stood there quietly for a moment, everyone still looking at where the two sisters had been just moments before, then suddenly, they looked back at Ino and ran off, afraid of what she might do to them next. Ino smirked proudly at her handywork and turned to face Sakura, who was still on the ground sniffling a bit, and watching Ino with obvious admiration in her eyes. _

_She laughed, then bent down and offered the girl a warm smile and a hand to help her up. "Wow, I can't believe they actually fell for that!" she exclaimed, still grinning._

_Sakura quickly wiped the last of the tears away with the back of her hand and then used the other one to grab Ino's, giving her a confused look as she did so. "W-What do you mean?" she asked quietly._

_"Well...I told them that those flowers were poisonous, but really, only the roots are. The blossoms may taste really bad, but they should be fine. And anyway...it serves them right, picking on a defenseless little girl like you just because you have a weird hair color. Maybe washing their dirty mouths out with soap will teach them a lesson." Ino explained._

_Sakura watched as the blonde burst in another fit of giggles, and stared stupidly at her, blinking. As Sakura listened to her light-hearted laughter, she decided that it must be contagious, as soon she was laughing, too, without even knowing why. But it didn't matter; she had made a new friend and, for possibly the first time in her young yet hard life, she was truly happy. _

Sakura finally finished washing and turned off the water, grabbing the towel that'd been hanging on a nearby rack before tentatively taking her first steps from the shower stall so she wouldn't fall. Wrapping the large towel around her body and making sure one corner was securely tucked so it wouldn't slip down, she took a slightly smaller one and wrapped it around her head, completely covering her still wet hair.

After exiting the bathroom and making the incredibly short trip through the small closed-in hallway and back to the room she'd been staying in, Sakura quickly got dressed, giving her hair a little time to start drying on its own before she used a portable blow-dryer Tsunade had loaned her to speed things up. The whole time she was getting dressed Sakura was preoccupied, thinking about what her life would be like after Tsunade had unlocked her dormant powers.

Would it hurt or help? Would she feel any different afterwards? Would she still see the world the way she did now, or would everything have changed even more in that short span of time than it already had over the past week since she'd met Naruto. Would she finally feel complete, after spending her entire life feeling like a big part of her was missing and wondering what it could possibly be? Sakura told herself that despite their obvious importance in the situation, these were all very silly questions to wonder.

Of course things would be different, and her life, which she felt was finally beginning to become more stabalized, would probably be made a great deal more difficult. And even though Sakura wasn't so sure if she was ready for all of this, what could she really do?

She had promised Naruto she'd help him on his mission in any way she could. Plus, after all Tsunade and her parents had done to protect her, all they'd sacrificed, how could she possibly refuse, to just turn her back and walk away? It wouldn't be right and Sakura knew she'd never be able to live with herself if she didn't go through with her desicion, no matter what kind of consequences it might lead to...

Slowly stepping out of the room and walking down the hall as if in a trance, she didn't even seem to notice when Naruto emmerged from the other guest room across the hall from hers, still yawning and rubbing his eyes. When he saw Sakura, he grinned and called to her cheerfully, but she didn't seem to hear him because she didn't even turn around or bat an eye.

Noticing Sakura's blank look and the way she was shuffling past like a zombie, he decided that something must be wrong, and went to catch up with her. "Sakura," he called again, this time placing a firm hand on her shoulder. Startled by the sudden touch, she jumped slightly in surprise before turning around to lock eyes. She quickly became lost in two deep pools of the most beautiful blue she had ever seen, finally breaking free from the spell.

"N-Naruto...?" she asked, looking up at him uncertaintly, as if she didn't know where she was or how she'd gotten there.

"Yeah, it's me." he replied. "Are you feeling okay today? You seemed a little out of it." he told her, concern very evident in his pure ocean blue eyes.

"Um... yeah, I'm fine. I guess I was just a little nervous, you know..." she said, giving him a weak smile. Naruto wasn't convinced, but decided not to push the topic.

"That's right, today is a big day for you isn't it?" Naruto said, suddenly looking very excited. "You'll finally have your powers for the first time after all these years! I don't think I could imagine living without mine. I bet you can't wait to try them out, eh?"

Before Sakura could open her mouth to respond, Tsunade came strutting down the hall, a serious look in her eyes and a small frown on her fast as she turned the corner and almost walked right into the two conversing teens. "Oh, Sakura, there you are. I was just coming to get you. Glad to see you're up early. Did you sleep well?" she asked kindly in a motherly sort of tone. However, she seemed to be purposely ignoring Naruto, and the kitsune didn't like this one bit.

"Hey, grandma, aren't you forgetting something?" Naruto interrupted, purposely using the detested nickname he'd dubbed her with the day before when he'd first met her at the bar.

Tsunade seethed at the younger blonde, trying to keep her terrible temper in check. "No, but I think you are, you impudent little brat. Where are your manners? I go against my better judgement by letting you spend the night in my home when I could've just left you out on the streets, and this is how you repay me?" she said through gritted teeth.

Sakura, sensing another fight about to break out, quickly stepped between the two, interceeding in their argument. "Um...If you two don't mind, could we please just get this over and done with? I'm kind of nervous already so..." Both blondes turned away, looking indignant but also shameful for having acted in such a manner in front of Sakura.

"Right," Tsunade nodded shortly. "It's important we begin as soon as possible. Although the initial ritual itself shouldn't take long and to my knowledge, isn't the least bit painful, you'll need plenty of time to readjust and rest. I'd also like to monitor you just in case there happen to be any negative side effects." Tsunade explained.

Sakura nodded her head slowly in comprehension while Naruto stood beside her, arms crossed, eyes watching intently. "Okay, come to the living room. There will be more space there." Tsunade said before turning around and heading back down the hall.

Sakura stared after her anxiously, and Naruto, sensing her hesitation, grabbed her hand in his and squeezed it reassuringly. She gave him a grateful smile and together the two of them walked down the hallway to meet the slug sanin and Sakura's fate...


End file.
